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DRILL     BOOK 


bCAL  CULTURE 


GESTURE 


EDWARD    P.    THWING,    M.D. 


FUNK   &   WAGNALLS    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


HOtV  TO  ENJOr  THE    ECSTAST    THAT  ACCOM- 
PANIES SUCCESSFUL  SPEAKING 

Before  An  Audience 

OR 

The   Use   of  the   Will   in   Public   Speaking 
By  NATHAN   SHEPPARD 

Ta/ks  to  the    Stud''nts_  of  the    Uni'versity  of  &.    Andre-iu    and 
the    U/.i versify  of  Aberdeen. 

This  is  not  a  book  on  elocution,  but  it  deals  in  a 
practical  common- sense  way  with  the  requirements 
and  constituents  of  effective  public  speaking. 

CAPITAL,  FAMILIAR,  AND  RACY 

"  I  shall  recommend  it  to  our  three  schools  of  elocution.  It 
is  capital,  familar,  racy,  and  profoundly  philosophical." — Joseph 
T.  Duryea,  D.D. 

REPLETE  WITH  PRACTICAL  SENSE 
'*  It  is  replete  with  practical  sense  an(f  sound  suggestions,  and 
I  should  like  to  have  it  talked  into  the  students  by  the  author." 
— Prof  y.    H.    Gilmore^  Rochester  University. 

**  KNOCKS  TO  FLINDERS"   OLD  THEORIES 
**The  author  knocks  to  flinders  the  theories  of  elocutionist, 
and  opposes  all  their  rules  with  one  simple  counsel  :   *  Wake  up 
your  will.'  " — The  Neav   York  Evangelist, 

TO  REACH,  MOVE,  AND  INFLUENCE  MEN 

'*  He  does  not  teach  elocution,  but  the  art  of  public  speaking. 
.  .  .  Gives  suggestions  that  will  enable  one  to  reach  and  move 
and  influence  men.  " — The  Pittsburg   Chronicle. 

I2m0y    Cloth ^   1^2  Pages.    Pricey  yj  cents 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY,  Publishers 
NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 


DRILL   BOOK 


VOCAL  CULTURE 


GESTURE. 


EDWAKD   P.  THWmG,   M.D. 


FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY, 
NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON. 


895 


Copyright, 

1.    K.    FUNK    u,    COMPANY 

1876. 


COURSE   OF   STUDY. 


Chapter  I.  Page  9,  considers  the  importance  and 
method  of  Vocal  Culture 

Chapter  II.  Page  15,  is  a  brief  outline  of  preparatory 
Physical  Training  by  respiratory  exercises  and  gym- 
nasties. 

Chapter  III.  Page  24,  treats  of  Production  of  Tone  i 
the  peculiarities  of  different  voices  and  the  method 
of  cultivating  compass  and  purity. 

Chapter  IV,  Page  37,  is  devoted  t^  Articulation  ol 
elements,  formation  of  syllables  and  division  of 
words. 

Chapter  V.    Page  52,  treats  of  Stress  and  Emphasis. 

Chapter  VI.  Page  61,  Inflection,  Pitch,  Melody,  Force 
and  Rate  of  Movement. 

Chapter  VII.    Page  73,  Personation  or  picturing. 

Chapter  VIII.  Page  77,  Gesture  and  Extemporaneoof 
Speech. 

Chapter  IX.    Page  98,  Facial  Bixpression. 


166086 


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in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/drillbookinvocalOOthwirich 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  TOPICS. 


PAGE 

Ambbicah  pecnliaritics  of 
speech 12 

AflFectation 11,38,103 

Articulation 37 

Austin,  Rev.  Gilbert ....      82,  88 

Breathing,  cautionary  advice    17 
Bassiui's  methods  ....    27,  34,  65 

Bascom,  Henry 73 

Bacon  on  Gesture    85,  88,  93,  102 

Bell,  Sir  Charles 98,  105 

Beecher,  Rev.  H.  W 48,  88 

Barber,  Dr.,  Table  of  conso- 
nants      41,  49 

Broadus,  Dr 32,110 

Brougham,  Lord  ;  secret  of 
success  96 

Culture  and  Nature 12 

Comstock,Dr ,  87 

Cadence 59 

Circumflexes 64 

Dodge,  Hon.  W.  E..  to  young 
ministers 11 

Darwin,  principles  of  expres- 
sion      99 

Delsarte's  system  of  expres- 
sion   105 

Ear,  write  for  the 96 

Emphasis  defined 57 

Explosive  tones,  when  proper    49 
Extemporaneous  Speech,  its 

advantages 95 

English  peculiarities 115 

Gymnastics,  their  use 20 

Gesture,  77.    Rhetoric  of..,.    93 

Humphrey,  President 48 

Inflections,  illustrations  with 
pianotorte  62 

Kirk,  Rev.  Dr.,  quoted 11 

Key  and  key-note 70 

Lungs,  their  average  capa- 
city     26 

Lewis,  Dr.  Dio 21,  29 

Mouth,  should  be  closed  Ilk 
sleep 85 


PAea 

Mara's  voice 60 

McHvaine,  Prof 82,  RO 

Murdock,  Prof.  J,  B 52 

Marsh,  George  P.,  lectures..    47 

Melody 68 

Monotone 69 

Massillon's  oratory 58 

Monroe,  Prof 17,22 

Mackay,  J.  S.,  pupil  of  Del- 
sarte    106 

Nature  and  Habit..... ^ 18 

Objections  to  Elocution  con 

sidered 11 

Orotund  voice 29 

Production  of  Tone 24 

Puberty 27 

Purity  of  voice 83 

Pitch 65 

Physiognomy 98 

Pantomime  .* 78,  91 

Phonetic  Spelling 89 

Payson,  Dr.  Edward 11,  67 

Personation 73 

Rush,  Dr 14,  19,  50,  52,  65 

Russell,  Prof.  W. .     19,  56,  67,  83 
Roman  drill  in  Elocution. ...    27 

Randolph's  eloquence 89 

Registers  of  the  voice &f 

Seller,  Madam 18,  84,  05 

Streeter,  Dr 18,  84,  66 

Sprague,  Prof 87 

Stone,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  L 48 

Stress 6S 

Sing'ng  and  Elocution. . .    84,  66 

Throat  and  Waist,    should 

not  be  compressea 16 

Tobacco  and  the  voice 86 

The  Temper 86 

Voice  Culture  and  Consump- 
tion     10 

Welch,  Prof 31 

Whitfield's  oratory 59 

Zachos*  methods  of 


training 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE. 

FIRST    EDITION. 

THIS  unpretentious  volume  is  intended  to 
meet  the  wants  of  students  and  professional 
men  in  the  direction  of  vocal  training.  It  is  the 
result,  not  only  of  wide  reading  anc^  careful 
study,  but  of  practical  experience  on  tlie  part  of 
the  author  as  a  clergyman  and  a  lecturer  in  vari- 
ous institutions. 

The  course  of  study  is  simple,  natural,  and 
progressive,  embracing  the  culture  of  the  vocal 
powers,  tlie  taste,  and  the  imagination.  "  I  saw 
much  of  Professor  Thwing's  labors  in  the  Bos- 
ton Normal  Institute  for  Physical  Education," 
writes  its  President  in  1871,  ^^and  found  that 
his  methods  were  founded  upon  science  and  had 
been  greatly  enriched  by  a  long  and  varied  expe- 
rience in  the  use  of  his  voice  before  public  audi- 
ences." Rev.  T.  De  Witt  Talmage,  D.D.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Brooklyn  Lay  College,  says :  "  I  heart- 
ily commend  his  book  on  Vocal  Culture.  He 
has,  in  our  Lay  College,  rendered  valuable  service 


PUBLISHERS'   ]SrOTE. 

in  training  the  young  men  in  the  art  of  public 
address/'  The  Kev.  J.  T.  Duryea,  D.D.,  to  whose 
scholarly  criticism  the  work  was  committed  in 
manuscript,  writes  to  the  Publishers,  expressing 
his  satisfaction  in  its  fitness  and  excellence.  They 
are,  therefore,  confident  that  this  volume,  in  its 
comprehensiyeness,  brevity,  and  compactness, 
will  meet  the  needs  both  of  teacher  and  private 
student. 

By  omitting  orations,  poems,  and  other  selec- 
tions, such  as  form  the  bulk  of  most  elocutionary 
manuals,  the  author  has  prepared — what  is  rare- 
ly found — a  cheap  and  portable  drill  book,  con- 
taining in  a  small  compass  a  vast  amount  of  help- 
ful information  on  a  much  neglected  4^bjsct. 


VOCAL    CULTURE. 

CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

What    is   Elocutioi^  ?    Why   should    oki 
study   it   and   how  ? 

1.  Elocution  is  the  art  of  vocal  expression. 
The  principles  form  a  science,  the  application, 
an  art.  Rhetoric  has  more  to  do  with  written 
thought,  although  even  this  has  its  phonetic,  as 
well  as  logical,  relations  to  persuasive  speech. 

2.  But  why  train  the  voice?  There  are  phys- 
ical advantages  resulting  from  Voice  Culture. 
The  erect  posture,  expanded  chest,  deep  breathing 
and  other  vocal  gymnastics,  carefully  and  syste- 
matically practiced,  contribute  to  the  vigor  and 
pliancy  of  the  muscles,  to  arterial  circulation  and 
to  a  healthful  exhilaration  of  the  whole  system. 
The  care  and  training  of  the  vocal  organs  with 
attention  to  those  hygienic  rules  required  by  the 
elocutionist,  tend  to  arrest  the  progress  of  pul- 


10  VOCAL  CULTUBE. 

monary  disease,  which  in  fatality,  probably  ex 
ceeds  all  others.  The  amount  of  labor  one  can 
do  often  depends  less  on  muscle  than  on  wind. 
The  development  of  the  chest,  when  under 
training,  is  marvellous.  The  measure  of  the  chest 
of  the  champion  swimmer  of  the  world  is  forty- 
five  inches,  and  fifty,  when  inflated. 
A  French  author  writes  : 

"  All  men  who  make  it  their  profession  to  try  wind 
Instruments  made  at  the  various  factories  before  sale,  all, 
without  exception,  to  my  knowledge,  are  free  from  pul- 
monary affections.  I  have  known  many  such  who,  on  en- 
tering upon  this  profession,  were  very  delicate,  and  who, 
though  their  duty  obliged  them  to  blow  for  hours  togeth- 
er, enjoyed  perfect  health  after  a  certain  time.  1  am  my- 
self an  instance  of  this.  My  mother  died  of  consumption: 
eight  of  her  children  fell  victims  to  the  same  disease, 
and  only  three  of  us  survive,  and  we  all  three  play  on 
wind  instruments.  The  day  is  not  far  distant,  perhaps, 
when  physicians  will  have  recourse  to  our  dreaded  art  in 
order  to  conquer  pulmonary  diseases." 

There  is  need,  however,  of  caution,  lest  even 
a  healthful  exercise  may  be  unduly  prolonged, 
Buch  is  the  fondness  of  people  to  run  to  extremes. 

Again,  there  are  mental  and  moral  advanta- 
ges resulting  from  Voice  Culture.  The  essence 
of  language  is  in  the  living  utterance.  Delivery 
is  to  discourse  what  performance  is  to  music. 
Painting  addresses  the  eye  and  music  the  ear, 
but  oratory  commands  both  art  senses.  Christ 
wrote  nothing,  but  "never  man  spake  like  this 
man."    A  good  picture  deserves  a  good  frame. 


INTRODUCTORY.  11 

The  gospel  deserves  a  noble  utterance.  Its 
"  apples  of  gold  "  ought  to  be  served  in  the  "  sil- 
ver basket "  of  pure,  shining  speech. 

Edward  Payson  remarked  that  the  voice 
was  half  in  pulpit  discourse,  and  the  lamented 
Dr.  Kirk  said,  that  the  great  necessity  of  our 
times,  next  to  a  more  practical  christian  faith, 
was  "  a  thorough  cultivation  of  the  functions  of 
speech."  Hon.  W.  E.  Dodge,  in  a  public  address, 
remarked  that  he  had  for  years  watched  young 
ministers,  and  had  been  *^  distressed  to  see  in  how 
many  instances  they  have  failed  in  this  respect 
to  make  available  the  knowledge  they  had  ac- 
quired by  years  of  careful  study.  They  had  no 
power  of  voice,  or  style  of  delivery  to  make  an 
impression  on  an  audience,  and  for  lack  of  this 
never  attain  any  considerable  success."  Said 
Andrew  Fuller,  "  0  the  holiness  of  their  living, 
and  the  painfulness  of  their  preaching ! "  In 
the  modern  sense  of  the  word,  the  "painfulness" 
<^^  pulpit  tones,  and  the  general  indifference  to 
manner  rob  the  gospel  of  half  its  power. 

But  elocutionary  training,  it  is  said,  makes  one 
affected.  Yes,  sometimes,  and  so  a  knowledge 
of  the  classics  may  result  in  pedantry,  hence  the 
old  saying,  "  The  ass  that  knows  Greek,  is  the 
greatest  ass  of  all."  But  the  use  of  an  art  is  one 
thing  and  its  abuse  quite  a  different  thing. 
Conceit  attends  a  little  knowledge,  but  modesty 
is  the  badge  of  wisdom. 

Again,    "  it  is    enough  to    follow  nature." 


18  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

True,  but  we  are  not  natural  by  nature,  foi  i 
often  takes  one  a  long  time  to  ^'  come  to  him- 
self." In  other  words,  we  confound  habit  and 
nature.  We  say,  it  is  natural  for  some  to  talk 
through  the  nose,  or  walk  with  shuffling  gait. 
We  mean  to  say  that  it  is  fcheir  habit  to  do  so. 
True  art  leads  to  nature  and  not  to  artifice. 
But  is  not  a  good  voice  a  constitutional  gift  ? 
Unquestionably.  Yet  culture  does  more  for 
some  than  nature  ever  did.  He  who  has  a  fine 
utterance  has  the  highest  encouragement,  and 
he  who  has  a  poor  voice  the  highest  necessity  for 
elocutionary  training.  **  Ninety  per  cent  of 
what  men  call  genius,"  says  Prof.  Mathews  in 
his  admirable  volume,  "Getting  on  in  the 
world,"  "is  a  talent  for  hard  work."  Lord 
Chatham  translated  Demosthenes  into  English, 
and  twice  read  through  a  huge  dictionary  with 
careful  attention,  to  gain  a  mastery  of  language. 
His  son,  William  Pitt,  before  he  was  twenty, 
read  through  nearly  all  the  ancient  classics,  many 
of  them  aloud,  dwelling  for  hours  on  stnkmg 
passages.  The  "  silver  tongued  Mansfield  "  ti  ans- 
lated  not  only  Cicero  into  English,  but  English 
orations  into  Latin,  and  thus  gained  that  felicity 
of  expression  which  the  ignorant  called  a  gift  of 
ature. 

Americans,  specially,  need  voice  training. 
Their  east  winds,  lean  soil,  their  independence 
and  sharp  business  habits,  Dr.  Holmes  says,  are 
not  the  best  things  for  the  larynx.  Nine  men  out  of 


INTRODUCTORY.  13 

ten  have  a  harr!,  sharp,  metallic  clink,  which  re- 
minds him  of  the  spring  bell  on  a  tinman's  door. 
Nor  does  he  spare  the  female  voice.  Too  often 
it  is  sour  enough  to  produce  effervescence  with 
alkalies  and  creaking  enough  to  sing  duets  with 
katydids.  Were  half  the  time  spent  in  vocal 
culture  that  is  wasted  in  arranging  dress  and  dis- 
arranging hair,  the  voice  might  be  made  soft  **  as 
the  dew  on  Hermon,"  mellow  and  sweet  as  the 
voice  of  Shakespeare's  Cordelia. 

8.    How  SHALL  WB  TRAIN  THE  VOIOB  ? 

First,  as  an  instrument  of  sound,  under  the 
laws  of  sound. 

Second,  as  an  instrument  of  thought,  under 
the  laws  of  thought  and  emotion. 

This  simple  analysis  gives  us  a  preparatory 
drill  by  physical  exercises,  respiration,  articula 
tion,  and  musical  tones.  Then,  having  learned 
to  develop  its  capacities,  we  find  the  uses  of  the 
voice  as  a  weapon  of  defence  and  assault,  an  in- 
strument of  entreaty,  or  of  menace,  of  instruc- 
tion, conversation,  prayer  or  praise.  The  phys- 
ical drill  brings  into  notice  anatomical  and 
physiological  facts,  and  the  intellectual  or  aes- 
thetic branch  of  study  calls  into  play  the  imagi- 
nation, taste,  sensibilities  and  mimetic  powers. 

Voice-building  and  mental  training  go  on 
simultaneously,  although  individual  cases  vary, 
some  students  having  excellent  physical  qualifi- 
cations yet  lacking  in  correct  taste,  while  othen 


14  VOCAL  CULTURIL. 

whose  discrimination  is  perfect,   fail  in  vocal 
energy. 

Those  who  wish  to  study  the  anatomy  of  the 
organs  will  find  all  that  is  needful  in  the  com- 
mon text  books  on  physiology.  Dr.  Bush  hai 
given  so  philosophical  a  treatise  on  the  HumaD 
Voice  that  his  prefaces,  he  himself  has  tartlj 
said,  are  regarded  "  the  only  intelligible  part  oi 
the  volume." 

Dr.  Rush  is  full  of  conceits,  odd  phrases  and 
irrelevant  matter.  His  bulky  work,  too,  is  so 
technical  and  abstruse  in  style  and  cynical  in 
tone,  it  never  secured  popular  attention.  His 
'^emphatic  vocules,"  ^^ inthoughtive  syllables," 
"  discommas  "  and  other  oddities  give  the  air  of 
pedantry  to  his  discussion.  The  object  of  this 
Manual  is  to  give  results  rather  than  procwses, 
and  th^se  in  the  simplest,  briefest  form* 


CHAPTER    11. 

Physical  TRAii^iifa. 

SxAi^Dii^G.  1.  The  first  command  to  ancient 
AtL  icte  or  to  modern  soldier  is,  stand  firm ! 
An  erect  posture  is  of  vital  importance  to  reader 
or  speaker.  The  attitude  which  one  naturally 
assumes  unconsciously  reflects  his  character. 
While  the  reveller  reels,  and  the  miser  stoops, 
and  the  voluptuary  yawns,  the  true  man  stands, 
upright  and  downright.  Let  the  first  exercise 
in  vocal  gymnastics,  then,  be  standing. 

Stand  firm,  but  not  rigid  ;  straight  but  do 
not  bend  backward  ;  the  feet  a  little  apart  and 
at  an  angle  not  quite  as  broad  as  a  right  angle ; 
the  wrists  against  the  hip  joint ;  the  shoulders 
square  ;  the  chest  expanded  and  the  head  erect, 
so  that  the  larynx  is  directly  over  the  windpipe. 

Stand  with  ease  and  dignity.  Avoid  ^^  lassi- 
tude, bending,  carelessness,  falling  of  the  head, 
dangling  of  the  limbs,  loose  and  irregular  gazing. 
To  clasp  the  hands  over  the  abdomen  is  offen- 
sive, and  to  clasp  the  hands  behind  the  back  ia 
scarcely  graceful,  particularly  if  they  are  placed 
under  the  coat  skirts.*' 


16  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

2,  Never  allow  collar  or  cravat  to  press  the 
throat,  or  in  the  slightest  degree  impede  the 
breathing. 

An  eminent  physician,  who  devoted  his 
whole  attention  to  diseases  of  the  throat  and 
lungs,  says  that  about  three-fourths  of  all  throat 
diseases  would  get  well  by  wearing  very  loose 
collars,  and  no  neck-tie  at  alL  Singers  come  to 
him  for  throat  diseases  and  loss  of  voice,  and  he 
tears  open  their  cravats  and  cures  them  with  no 
other  treatment  whatever.  The  pressure  of  the 
collar  ton  the  arteries  of  the  neck  is  very  bad  for 
the  health.  If  you  have  disease  of  the  throat  let 
nature  do  the  curing,  and  the  physician  just  as 
little  as  possible. 


DBPOKMED.  NATUBAL.. 

The  dress  at  the  waist,  of  course,  should  be 
loose,  allowing  room  for  the  easy  play  of  dia- 
phragm. The  idiotic  idea  that  there  is  beauty  in 
a  waist,  attenuated  and  deformed  by  tight  belt 
and  corset,  deserves  only  silent  contempt.  Atti- 
tude and  dress  being  correct,  we  next  attend  to 
breathing,  as  preparatory  to  the  production  of 
tone. 


PHYSICAL  TllAIKlJSG. 


17 


Bjrbathing.  1.  First  of  all,  beware  of  ex- 
tremes, in  this  as  in  other  matters.  While  some 
teachers  almost  ignore  respiratory  exercises,  oth- 
ers push  them  to  a  harmful  extent.  Judicious 
training  is  needed.  Prof.  Monroe,  the  eminent 
Boston  elocutionist,  truly  says,  that  "  tlie  lun^a 


ACTION  01"  THB  DIAPHBAOlf. 

t.  Carity  of  the  Chest.  2.  Abdomen.  8.  Line  of  diaphragm,  re 
lazed  in  expiration.  4.  Contracted  in  inspiration.  5.  6.  Front 
walls  when  the  lungs  are  properly  inflated.    7.  8.  In  expiration. 

•re  the  very  springs  of  vitality.  The  manner  of 
breathing  is  almost  as  good  \  test  as  the  pulse 
itself  of  the  general  state  of  tne  system,  physical 
and  mentaL'* 


18  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

2.  The  commonest  fault  is  breathing  irith 
the  pectoral  muscles,  to  the  neglect  of  the  costal 
and  abdominal  muscles.  The  motion  of  the 
flanks  of  domestic  animals  should  teach  us  a  lea* 
son  on  this  point.  In  faulty  breathing,  the 
sides  of  the  chest  are  drawn  in  upon  the  lungs, 
as  seen  in  stammerers,  who  force  out  their  breath 
in  short,  spasmodic  expirations,  inverting  the 
natural  upward  action  of  the  diaphragm. 

3.  If  the  supply  of  breath  is  deficient,  the 
Yoice  will  be  both  flat  and  feeble,  as  in  a  wind 
instrument  when  the  bellows  are  but  partly  in- 
flated. The  pitch  is  lowered,  and  the  power  is 
weakened.  The  peculiar  whine  of  the  locomo- 
tive whistle,  when  the  steam  is  slowly  shut  off, 
is  a  familiar  example.  The  languid  semitones 
of  a  sick  or  melancholy  person  is  another. 

4.  If  the  pressure  of  the  breath  is  too  great, 
the  voice  will  be  rough  and  jerky,  as  the  music 
of  the  organ  may  be  spoiled  by  an  ignorant  blower 
of  the  bellows.  The  old  song  masters  of  Italy 
laid  the  greatest  stress  on  the  proper  control  of 
the  breathing,  as  indispensable  in  forming  full, 
sweet  tones.  Madam  Seiler,  late  of  Heidelberg, 
now  of  Philadelphia,  makes  this  point,  that 
"  Every  tone  requires  for  its  greatest  possible 
perfection,  only  a  certain  quantity  of  breatli, 
which  cannot  be  increased  or  diminished  without 
injury  to  its  strength  in  the  one  case,  and  its 
agreeable  sound  in  the  other." 

Dr.  H.  R.  Streeter,  in  the  same  line  of  cau- 


PHYSICAL  TEAIKIi^O.  19 

tionary  advice,  warns  against  mere  puffing  of 
breath  and  bawling  of  voice.  Noise  is  not  the 
chief  aim.  "  The  instruction  given  by  a  promi- 
nent director  to  his  chorus  was,  *  Koar,  roar  like 
tigers  1 '  If  voices  are  thus  used,  is  it  strange 
that  voices  do  not  last,  and  that  there  are  so  few 
good  singers  or  speakers  ?  " 

6.  Dr.  Eush  remarks,  "  by  a  command  over 
the  muscles  of  respiration  the  breath  is  frugally 
dealt  out  to  successive  syllables,  in  limited  por- 
tions, appropriate  to  the  time  and  force  of  each, 
thus  guarding  against  the  necessity  of  frequent 
inspirations."  As  an  initial  exercise,  he  sug- 
gests the  expiration  of  the  syllable  hah  in  the 
voice  of  a  whisper,  with  the  mouth  widely  open, 
with  a  duration  long  enough  to  entirely  empty 
the  lungs.  This  is  the  exercise  which  the  late 
Prof.  Ru&sell  called  effusive  breathing. 
I  6.  Deep  breathing  is  merely  a  kind  of  sighing, 
nrhere  the  full  breath  escapes  at  once,  but  Effu- 
sive breathing  is  prolonged,  and  sounds  like  the 
murmur  of  the  sea-shell.  Next,  let  the  student 
utter  the  whispered  syllable  tvho.  This  illus- 
fcrates  Expulsive  breathing,  which  is  more  abrupt. 
It  is  to  be  made  by  the  thoracic  muscles,  as  well 
as  by  those  of  the  mouth.  Lastly,  let  the  sylla- 
ble hah  be  thrice  pronounced  with  a  vigorous 
expulsion  of  the  full  breath,  and  we  have  Explo- 
sive breathing,  reminding  one  of  the  coughs  of  a 
locomotive,  when  starting  a  heavy  train. 

These  exercises  may  be  modified,  but  qoiia 


20  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

of  them  should  be  repeated  to  the  extent  ol 
weariness.  The  student  should  stand  during 
exercise,  with  the  hands  resting  on  the  hips. 

7.  Great  as  is  the  importance  of  full,  deep 
inspiration,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  it  is 
the  control  of  the  breath,  rather  than  the  quan- 
tity used,  which  secures  effectiye  speech.  Skill 
did  more  for  Farinelli  than  strength,  in  winning 
his  victory  over  the  trumpet  player  in  prolonging 
a  note.  It  is  with  the  breath,  as  it  is  with 
money  ;  not  he  who  has  the  most,  but  he  who 
knows  how  to  spend  it  wisely,  succeeds  in  the 
end.  For  years  after  the  writer  entered  on  a 
clergyman's  work,  he  suffered  weariness  after 
speaking  a  half  hour,  simply  from  inattention  to 
this  point.  Control  of  the  breath  is  acquired 
only  by  patient  and  prolonged  attention. 

Gymnastics.  Some  instructors  extol,  while 
others  undervalue,  gymnastics  as  related  to  elo- 
cution. A  few  exercises  will  be  suggested,  and 
one  can  follow  his  own  judgment  as  to  the 
amount  of  practice  he  needs  to  develop  the  chest 
and  lungs. 

Some  of  these  will  at  least  promote  freedom 
and  gracefulness  of  carriage,  which  are  of  prime 
importance  to  a  public  speaker.  Their  relation, 
also,  to  gesture  is  direct,  as  in  the  "  Extension 
movement,"  which  breaks  up  the  inveterate 
habit,  which  many  have  of  making  constrained, 
pump-handle  gestures  with  the  elbow  at  the  side, 
instead  of  calling  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder 


PHYSICAL  TEAIiq^IKr  ^1 

■ntc  ase  by  a  freer  sweep  of  either  arm.  The 
suggestions  of  Professor  Welch,  in  his  work  on 
Physical  Culture,  are  admirable.  Quietness,  pre- 
cision and  promptness  are  insisted  on.  Di. 
Welch  also  shows  in  his  book,  as  lie  well  shows 
in  his  life,  the  marvellous  power  of  endurance 
which  eyen  an  invalid  may  develop  by  systematic 
muscular  exercise,  with  attention  to  the  laws  of 
healthful  living. 

The  matter  of  Calisthenics,  from  the  Greek, 
strength  and  heaiUy,  is  treated  by  Dio  Lewis  and 
others  at  length.  Prof.  Frobisher's  pamphlet 
^*  Blood  and  Breath,"  to  go  with  the  wonderful 
Pocket  Gymnasium,  is  well  worthy  study. 


First  Series.     Hand  movements, 

1.  Thrust  the  open  right  hand  downward 
from  the  breast  twice  forward,  twice  laterally. 
Then  the  left  hand,  then  both,  making  twelve 
exercises  with  the  open  hand. 

2.  Thrust  the  fist  from  the  right  shoulder 
straight  upward  twice,  twice  forward,  laterally. 
Kepeat  the  same  with  the  left  arm,  then  both, 
making  twelve  exercises  with  the  closed  hand. 


22  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

Second  Series.     Cliest  expansion, 

1.  Close  the  mouth  and  each  hand.  Place 
the  hands  against  the  chest,  palms  upward.  In- 
flate the  lungs  fully.  Thrust  out  the  arms  and 
the  breath  too,  vigorously.     Again. 

2.  Inhale  as  before  and  hold  the  breath. 
Strike  the  chest  a  half  dozen  rapid  blows  with 
the  end  of  the  fingers,  using  the  wrist  joints 
rather  than  those  of  the  shoulder  or  elbow. 
Repeat. 

3.  Unequal  breathing.  Mace  the  left  hand 
on  the  left  breast,  the  right  wrist  on  the  crown 
of  the  head,  and  breathe  deeply  and  quietly. 
Mouth  closed  as  usual.  Reverse  positions  and 
repeat  with  the  left  hand  on  the.  head.  Head 
and  body  erect.  To  these  exercises  may  be 
added  those  of  dorsal,  costal  and  abdominal 
breathing,  described  in  Chap  V.  of  Prof.  Monroe's 
Vocal  Gymnastics. 

4.  Extension  movement.  This  may  be  prac- 
ticed once  with  the  lungs  inflated,  and  thcD 
once  without  holding  the  breath.  Never  forget 
the  caution  §  6. 

Four  movements  with  hands  touching,  and 
four  with  arms  extended. 

First,  Extend  both  arms  forward,  level 
with   the  mouth,  thumbs  and  finger-tips  toach- 

Second,     Raise  to  an  angle  of  45**. 
Third,     Raise  to  the  perpendicular. 
Fourth,     Carrv  backward  with  fingers  still 


PHYSICAL  TRAINING.  23 

together,  and  pointing  at  the  angle  of  45'.  Head 
erect  and  shoulders  down. 

Fiftlu  Extend  both  arms  behind,  and  at 
the  same  angle  as  in  the  fourth  movement. 

Sixth,     Depress  to  the  level  of  the  shoulders 

Seventh,  Continue  with  unbent  arms  half 
way  downward. 

Eighth.     Arms  by  the  side. 

In  class  exercises  the  piano  will  be  helpful, 
with  marching  music  to  mark  the  motions  and 
to  impart  exhilaration  to  the  exercise.  Other- 
wise the  instructor  will  mark  time  by  count  or 
gesture.  The  fewer  words  the  better,  both  for 
him  and  his  gymnasts. 


UNIVERSITV 


CHAPTER    TIL 

Pboduction  of  Tokb. 

He  stood  and  shouted ;  Pallas  also  raised 
A  dreadful  shout,  and  tumult  infinite, 
Ezdted  throughout  all  the  hosts  of  Troy. 

So  Homer  sings  of  Achilles  and  his  fellows. 
Milton's  picture  of  the  shout  of  rebel  angels  ifi 
still  more  terrific.  An  imperious  tone  is  more 
than  argument.  Says  Fitzgerald,  '*  superficial 
speakers  make  up  in  loudness,  lack  of  matter. 
Like  Novius,  the  Eoman,  they  bawl  themselves 
into  credit."  Fastidious  church-goers  love 
^^  sound  doctrine,"  that  is,  sweet  and  sonorous 
tones.  What  is  said  is  of  less  consequence. 
Bzekiel  was  to  Israel  as  the  "  song  of  one  that 
hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well  on  an 
instrument."  They  hear  the  words  but  do  them 
not. 

If  the  mere  tone  itself  has  such  power  and 
persuasiveness,  it  is  of  prime  importance  that  we 
know  how  to  form  and  to  locate  it. 

1.  The  organs  of  voice  consist  of  a  vertical 
pipe  or  trachea,  with  an  air  chest  at  its  lower 
end,  the  lungs,  and  an  apparatus  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  pipe,  by  which  undulations  are  im- 


PEODUCTIOif   OF  TOii^ 


25 


parted  to  the  external  air.  Physiologists  are 
diyided  in  opinion  as  to  the  production  of  tone. 
The  idea  most  generally  received,  is  that  the 
vocal  cords  play  the  part  of  the  double  reed  in  a 


hautboy.  The  air  from  the  pipe  issues  between 
the  lii)s  of  the  glottis  in  more  or  less  rapid  vibra- 
tions, and  in  higher  or  lower  pitch,  according  to 
the  contraction  or  expansion  of  the  muscular 
pipe  and  adjacent  ventricles.     The  lips,  tongue 


26  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

and  other  membei's  aid.  The  experiments  of 
surgeons  with  the  scalpel,  and  of  singers  like 
Garcia  and  Seiler  with  the  laryngoscope,  are  not 
without  value.  Any  manual  of  physiology, 
however,  will  furnish  all  that  is  needed  to  under- 
stand the  simple,  anatomical  apparatus  of  sound. 

2.  The  laws  which  govern  these  organs  are 
the  same  as  those  which  govern  all  sounding 
bodies.  In  the  material,  size  and  condition  of 
the  vocal  apparatus,  we  find  the  secret  of  a  won- 
derful variety  of  tones.  The  sound  of  a  hammer 
on  a  board,  differs  from  that  of  a  pianoforte 
hammer  on  its.  echoing  wire.  There  is  a  similar 
difference  in  voices,  as  shown  in  previous  chap- 
ters. Some  have  large  and  flexible  organs,  and 
so 'have  powerful  tones  and  sympathetic.  The 
ligaments  and  membranous  tissue  in  other  cases 
are  injured  by  disease,  or,  oftener,  by  narcotics 
and  hot  drinks.  But  culture  is  the  real  secret 
inmost  cases.  The  range  of  perfection  in  the 
vibratory  chords  is  said  to  be  from  two  hundred 
degrees,  in  the  untrained  voice,  to  one  thousand 
in  the  highly  practised. 

3.  The  average  capacity  of  the  lungs  in  the 
adult  male  is  335  cubic  inches,  of  which  225  can 
be  forced  at  one  expulsion,  leaving  110  inches 
still  retained.*  The  old  cylindrical  spirometers, 
tested  the  lungs  by  this  method  of  prolonged 
breathing ;  that  of  Dr.  Dio  Lewis  by  a  sudden 
push  through  a  fine  rubber  tube,  which  moves  u 

*  Dr.  HutcliinBon,  Medico-Chirg.'  Transactloiui,  1846. 


PRODUCTION   Oi^   TOKE.  27 

In  inter  on  a  dial.  From  the  age  of  thirty-five 
to  sixty-five  there  is  a  diminution  of  nearly  a 
cubic  inch  a  year.  There  is  a  loss  of  five  cubic 
inches  in  sitting,  and  in  lying  down  a  loss  of 
thirty.  A  full  meal  lowers  the  respiratory  ca- 
pacity from  ten  to  twenty  cubic  inches. 

4.  The  voice  changes  at  puberty.  This  pe- 
riod is  usually  at  the  fifteenth  year  in  boys,  and 
with  girls  a  year  earlier.  The  tone  falls,  in  tlie 
male  voice,  an  octave,  and  the  larynx  is  greatly 
enlarged,  as  seen  in  the  increased  prominence  of 
the  bone,  ^^ Adam's  Apple."  Hoarseness  and 
even  loss  of  voice  sometimes  attend  this  change. 
The  voice  involuntarily  breaks,  and  the  tone  be- 
comes a  falsetto. 

Bassini  says,  *^  this  is  a  very  critical  period. 
Great  care  should  be  taken.  Many  voices  are 
irretrievably  lost  during  this  time,  through  care- 
lessness of  the  possessor,  or  the  ignorance  of 
singing  masters.  Many  voices  which  before  the 
change  were  rich,  become  poor  and  worthless.  If 
singing  be  undertaken  at  all,  it  should  be  only 
under  the  guidance  of  a  competent  master." 
The  tone  and  pitch  of  the  female  voice  change 
less,  but  it  increases  in  fullness  of  volume. 

5.  In  felxC  production  of  tone,  the  Romans  had 
three  kinds  of  drill  masters.  The  vociferarii  de- 
veloped power  and  compass  of  voice  by  loud 
T^iferations.  Our  street  peddlers,  newsboys  and 
others  who  habituate  themselves  to  out-door 
vocal  exercises  in  all  kinds  of  weather  with  com- 


28  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

parative  impunity,  are  illustrations  of  the  bene* 
fit  of  such  training.  The  plionasci  improved  the 
quality  of  the  voice,  and  the  vocales  taught  in- 
flections and  other  embellishments  of  speech. 
Such  is  the  variety  of  material  to  be  wrought 
upon  in  the  development  of  tone,  only  general 
methods  may  be  indicated.  Some  have  sympa- 
thetic voices,  and  others  hard  and  unyielding 
organs.  Still,  the  latter,  like  some  kinds  of 
wood,  may,  under  special  culture  become  pecu- 
liarly rich. 

An  English  physician  once  received  from  a 
brother,  who  was  a  West  India  captain,  several 
planks  of  very  heavy  wood.  These  were  part  of 
the  ship's  ballast.  It  was  thought  that  they 
might  be  of  use  to  the  doctor,  who  was  then 
building  a  house.  The  carpenters  rejected  them 
because  they  were  too  hard  for  their  tools.  A 
cabinet-maker  soon  after  was  directed  to  use 
them  in  making  a  candle-box.  He  made  trial, 
and  said  that  he  could  not  work  up  the  wood. 
He  was  ordered  to  get  stronger  tools.  The  box 
was  made,  and  a  bureau  too,  the  color  and  polish 
of  which  were  so  remarkable,  that  Dr.  Gibbons 
called  in  his  friends  to  examine  them.  Among 
them  was  the  Duchess  of  Buckingham,  who 
ordered  a  bureau  for  herself.  The  fame  of  ma- 
hogany was  now  established,  and  for  a  liundred 
years  its  use  has  been  universal,  till  black  walnut 
nas  proved  a  successful  rival.  We  learn,  then, 
nat    labor    conquers    aU    things.     Multitudes, 


PRODUCTION   OF  TONE.  2^ 

from  Demosthenes  to  the  present  day,  have  over- 
come impediments  which  at  first  seemed  insur- 
mountable, and  like  the  doctor's  patient  work- 
man, produced  splendid  results  from  unpromia- 
ing  material. 

Qualities  of  Toke. 

1.  Pure  Tone  is  that  of  ordinary  conversa- 
tion. It  should  be  natural,  easy,  smooth  and 
clear.  A  full  inhalation  of  breath,  and  a  mod- 
erate expenditure  are  required.  The  pure  tone 
is  used  in  narrative,  in  cheerful  and  tranquil 
moods. 

2.  The  Orotund  is  the  pure  tone  deepened. 
The  larynx  is  depressed,  the  pharynx  enlarged, 
and  the  veil  of  the  palate  elevated.  There  are 
three  forms,  the  Effusive,  which  Russell  com- 
pares to  a  round,  deep  and  prolonged  yawn  ;  the 
Expulsive,  a  declamatory  or  shouting  style,  and 
the  Explosive,  a  short,  sharp  cry,  as  in  alarm,  or 
any  abrupt  emotion.  The  Effusive  orotund  is 
used,  where  sublimity  or  reverence  is  expressed. 

Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place 

In  all  generations. 

Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 

Or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth, 

And  the  world, 

Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

Thou  art  God  1 

So  in  Milton's  invocation  of  Li^ht. 


80  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

.Hail !  holy  light,  offspring  of  Heaven,  firat  bo?B 
Or  of  the  eternal  co-eternal  beam, 
May  I  express  thee  unblamed  ? 

The  Expulsive  orotund,  is  illustrated  in  the 
familiar  quotation — 

"  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish,  I  give 
my  hand  and  my  heart  to  this  vote !  " 

This  form  of  the  orotund  is  used  in  impas- 
sioned declamation. 

The  Explosive  orotund  is  a  sudden  discharge 
of  vocal  tone,  when  the  abdominal  muscles  and 
diaphragm  force  the  condensed  breath  out  of  the 
glottis,  or  lips  of  the  laiynx,  instantly.  "It 
rouses  the  sensibility  of  the  whole  frame,  and  it 
summons  to  instant  action  all  the  senses.  It 
seems  designed  by  nature  as  the  note  of  alarm  to 
the  whole  citadel  within  the  soul.  Pursued  ex- 
clusively it  would  harden  the  voice  and  render 
it  dry  and  unpleasing  in  its  quality.  Intermin- 
gled with  the  other  modes  of  practice  it  secures 
a  thorough-going  force  and  clearness  of  voice  and 
permanent  vigor  and  elasticity  to  the  organg." 

To  arms  I  they  come  1  the  Greek  I  the  Greek  I 

Strike  1  till  the  last  armed  foe  expires  ; 
Strike  I  for  your  altars  and  your  fires. 
Strike  1  for  the  green  graves  of  your  siret, 
God  and  your  native  land  1 

The  Guttural  is  a  choked   hoarse  throiit 


PRODUCTION   OF  TONE  31 

tone,  where  the  muscles  of  the  hirynx  and  abr  ut 
the  root  of  the  tongue  are  comjiressed.     It  '^ 
the  expression  of  rage  and  scorn. 
Shylock  used  it  when  he  asked  : 

Hath  a  dog  money  ?  is  it  possible 

A  cur  can  lend  three  thousand  ducats  ? 

How  like  a  fawning  publican  he  looks  I 
I  hate  liim,  for  he  is  a  Christian. 

The  Tkemor  resembles  the  trill  in  singing 
and  is  employed  in  deeply  pathetic  passages  aa 
in  the  King's  Lament. 

Absalom,  Absalom !  my  son,  my  son  1 

Sometimes,  too,  in  sportive  passages  where 
laughing  is  intermingled. 

Oh  1  then,  I  see  queen  Mab  bath  been  with  you. 

The  Whisper  needs  no  description.  It  re- 
quires intensity  of  articulation,  clearness  and 
precision  in  the  use  of  the  organs  of  speech.  It 
is  a  beneficial  exercise,  if  not  too  long  continued. 
Whispering  expresses  fear  and  secrecy. 

Is  all  prepared  ?  speak  soft  and  low  1 

And  the  bride  maidens  wliispered  'Twere  better  by  far, 
To  have  matched  our  fair  cousin  with  young  LochinTar 

The  Aspirated  tone  is  a  half  whisper,  and 
is  used  where  the  disguise  or  concealment  is  not 
80  complete. 


32  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

'*  He  hears  a  noise  1  He  all  awake-^ 
Again  1  On  tip-toe  down  the  hill 
He  softly  creeps." 

HOW  TO   PRODUCE  PURE  TO^'ES. 

Prof.  Mcllvaine  sums  up  in  a  chapter  these 
ceatral  facts,  that  each  voice  has  its  own  charac- 
teristics, which  elocution  does  not  obliterate,  but 
corrects  and  develops  ;  that  a  good  teacher  should 
be  secured  ;  the  ear  cultivated  to  distinguish 
qualities  of  voice ;  that  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  strain  the  voice,  and  jet  persistent  j^rac- 
tice  half  an  hour  should  be  had  once  or  twice  a 
day. 

Dr.  Broadus  urges  singing  as  an  exercise,  as 
second  to  none  in  developing  the  compass  of  the 
voice  ;  horseback  riding  and  gymnastics  to  give 
volume  of  breath,  and  out-door  shouting  to  give 
a  penetrating  quality  to  the  voice.  Prof.  Fro- 
bisher  suggests  a  novel  "silent  practice."  In- 
tone the  words  sufficiently  to  make  them  audi- 
ble, and  by  intensity  of  will  and  imagination 
seem  to  sliout  and  gesticulate,  as  if  by  the  sea  or 
in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  Pace  the  room,  he 
says,  with  vehement  gesture,  and  the  eyes  full 
of  fire  and  expression.  The  whole  frame  is  ex- 
cited with  enthusiasm,  and  yet  those  in  the  next 
room  are  not  disturbed.  "This  apparently 
extravagant  exercise  is  merely  for  practice,  and 
it  renders  all  the  speaking  powers  extremely 
gtroDg  and  Dliant.     Personal    experience  with 


PRODCCTION   OF   TOXE.  33 

pupils  has  demonstrated  that  a  radically  weak 
Toice  can  be  made  strong  by  such  a  method." 
The  room  should  be  well  aired,  the  lungs  fully 
inflated,  and  the  mind  fixed  on  the  work. 

Purity  of  voice,  like  purity  of  character,  is 
the  crowning  excellence.  It  is  more  than  power 
or  any  other  attribute.  To  secure  this  quality, 
recall  the  conditions  already  noted. 

1.  Position.  Sitting  with  the  chin  dropped, 
or  standing  with  the  face  turned  downward  to- 
ward a  manuscript,  one  cannot  form  pure  tones. 
The  emission  of  sound  is  impeded.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  larynx  is  not  directly  over  the  wind- 
pipe. Irritation  of  the  throat  soon  results  from 
these  constrained  positions.  If  one  reads,  the 
page  should  be  laid  or  held  high  enough  to  allow 
of  erect  posture  of  the  person,  and  a  natural  posi- 
tion of  the  vocal  organs. 

2.  Free  opening  of  the  mouth.  Christ's  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount  is  prefaced  with  the  remark, 
"  He  opened  Ms  mouth,  and  taught  them."  Too 
many  preachers  and  teachers  neglect  this  impor- 
tant condition  of  lucid  statement.  Hence  gut- 
tural, nasal  or  muffled  sounds  are  made. 

3.  A  full  inhalation  of  the  lungs.  Chap. 
II.  §  3. 

4.  Conversion  of  the  whole  of  breath  into 
vocal  tones.  Kasping  or  sibilant  sounds,  sugges- 
tive of  teeth  and  lips,  spoil  purity.  They  result 
sometimes  from  lips  that  are  stiff  or  thick,  and 
from  a  peculiar  structure  of  the  jaw  and  palate, 

% 


54  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

bat  oftener  from  simple  ignorance  and  inaiton 
tioi:.  Rules  are  good,  but  a  living  teacher  is 
better  to  educate  at  once  the  ear  and  voice. 

5.  Locate  the  focus  of  sound  properly. 
Madam  Seller  says  that  the  air  should  rebound 
from  immediately  above  the  front  upper  teeth, 
where  it  must  be  concentrated  as  much  as  possi- 
ble, rebounding  thence  to  form  in  the  mouth 
continuous  vibrations."    At  the  same  time, 

6.  Project  the  tone,  thus  formed  in  the  cav- 
ity of  the  mouth,  to  a  distant  point,  as  if  di- 
rected to  an  individual  across  the  street.  Do 
this  in  a  loud  voice,  and  in  gentle  tones,  as  well. 
The  drill  sounds,  long  a,  long  e,  a/i,  aioe^  long 
0  and  00  may  be  used  in  turn. 

7.  Purity  and  flexibility  will  also  be  gained 
by  Bassini's  method  of  singing  the  syllable  sea 
to  the  tones  of  the  diatonic  scale,  soft  and  mel- 
low, then  crescendo  and  loud.  This  exercise  in  a 
class  may  be  pleasantly  varied  by  musical  triads, 
i.  e.,  the  addition  of  the  third  and  fifth  notes  as- 
signed to  divisions  of  the  class.  The  vibratory 
power  of  the  vocal  organs  may  be  improved  by 
culture  just  as  a  violin  is  said  to  gain  a  habit  of 
vibration,  making  it  sensitive  to  the  touch  of 
the  bow  and  freeing  it  from  those  resinous  par- 
ticles which  obstruct  the  free  movement  of  its 
wooden  fibres. 

Dr.  Streeter  thus  illustrates  the  fact  that 
*'  muscles  poseoas  the  power  of  retaining  habits 
taught  them.**    Jjelect  a  brick,  for  instance.     Af- 


FIIODUCXIOJ^}    OF   TONE.  S6 

ter  letaining  it  in  the  hand,  lay  it  down  and  the 
hand  for  some  little  time  retains  the  shape  into 
which  it  formed  itself  in  order  to  hold  the 
weight.  So  with  the  muscles  involved  in  speech. 
As  a  shoe  or  glove  which  has  been  worn  takes 
the  form  of  the  foot  or  hand,  so  the  vocal  liga- 
ments gain  in  flexibility  by  use  and  take  on  fixed 
habits  according  to  the  tension  of  the  parts. 

8.  Physiological  and  moral  facts  stand  related 
to  purity  of  voice.  One  who  neglects  the  laws  of 
health  in  the  matter  of  dress  and  food,  and  in  the 
use  of  drugs,  or  drinks,  cannot  have  pure  tones 
The  prevalence  of  catarrhal  difficulties  in  the 
North  Atlantic  States  causes  nasal  sounds.  The 
use  of  flatulent  food,  ice  water,  hot  drinks,  pas- 
try, confections,  strong  tea,  tobacco  and  other 
poisons,  spoil  the  voice  ;  some  of  them  by  direct 
action  on  the  stomach,  causing  eructations,  some 
by  induration  of  the  mucous  membrane,  mak- 
ing it  leathery,  and  some  by  ruining  the  teeth 
and  thus  affecting  articulation.  One  more  bad 
habit  is  that  of  sleeping  with  the  mouth  open. 
This  is  a  source  of  pulmonary  disease.  It  also 
helps  to  give  the  countenance  of  the  person, 
when  awake,  the  air  of  indecision,  if  not  of  idi- 
ocy or  senility.  Bu  t  how  may  the  habit  be  cured  ? 
First,  keep  the  mouth  shut  while  awake,  and 
always  breathe  through  the  nose.  Second,  sleep 
on  either  side,  but  not  on  the  back. 

9.  Moral  culture  directly  affects  the   voice. 
The  snarl  of  the  petulant,  and  the  whine  of  tht 


86  tocAjl  culture, 

dyspeptic,  stand  opposed  to  the  pleasant  and 
cheery  tones  of  the  sunny,  good-natured  man. 
The  cultivation  of  a  good  temper,  then,  has  a 
direct  relation  to  the  possession  of  a  penuasiTe 
Toioe, 


CHAPTER     IV. 

Aeticulatiok. 

1.  Articulation'  is  the  formation  or  enun- 
ciation of  the  elements  of  language.  It  is  indis- 
pensable to  good  delivery.  Pronunciation  has  ref- 
erence to  the  sound  of  words  as  related  to  good 
usage.  Articulation  has  to  do  with  vocal  mechan- 
ics, pronunciation  is  governed  by  the  laws  of 
cultivated  taste. 

2.  There  are  twenty-six  letters  in  the  English 
alphabet  but  philologists  reckon  from  thirty-two 
to  forty-five  elements,  according  to  real  or  im- 
agined difference  in  sound. 

Dr.  Comstock  makes  thirty-eight,  divided  as 
follows  :  fifteen  pure  vocal  or  vowel  sounds,  four- 
teen sub- vowels,  those  which  have  partial  vocal- 
ity,  and  nine  aspirates. 

3.  The  fault  of  indistinct  articulation  arises 
sometimes  from  defects  or  disease  in  the  organs, 
in  which  case  the  surgeon's  aid  is  needed.  Those 
with  cJ<»ft  palate,  hare  lip,  elongated  uvula,  en- 
larged tonsils,  the  tongue  tied,  stammerers  and 
lisping  ones,  as  well  as  those  suffering  from  aph- 
ony, laryngitis  and  other  difficulties,  need  com- 
petent medical  advici^ 


38  VOCAL   CULTURB. 

Neglect  of  early  training  is  a  common  cause. 
Little  ones  are  allowed  to  use  d  for  tli  as  dat  for 
that,  t  for  c,  as  tate  for  cake.  This  mutilation 
of  speech  is  often  regarded  by  silly  nurses  as 
*^  cunning/'  and  is  encouraged  until  an  inveter- 
ate habit  is  formed. 

Timidity  is  a  third  cause  of  indistinct  articu- 
lation. When  self-control  is  lost,  one  is  apt  to 
become  unintelligible  and  incoherent.  Affecta 
tion  also  spoils  articulation.  Carefulness  of 
utterance  is  not  mouthing.  In  avoiding  one 
fault,  one  should  not  fall  into  the  opposite  error 
of  a  pedantic,  artificial  style.  ^^Affectation,  the 
desire  of  seeming  to  be  that  which  we  are  not, 
is  the  besetting  sin  of  men.  A  plain,  simple 
unaffected  manner,  in  speech,  gesture,  carriage, 
is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  acquirements  ;  for 
in  all  grades  of  society,  from  the  wigwam  to  the 
saloon,  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  is  to 
be  unnatural." 

Articulation  is  rightly  called  the  special  char- 
acteristic of  human  speech.  The  "articulately 
speaking  men  of  Homer  express  the  concep- 
tion which  the  Greeks,  the  greatest  practical 
masters  of  speech  the  world  has  ever  seen, 
formed  of  humanity.  The  articulate  word  of  a 
man  is  his  rational  nature  in  its  most  full  and 
perfect  revelation,  a  revelation  which  is  dim  and 
obscure  in  the  degree  in  which  his  articulation  is 
defective." 

The  grand  secret  of  the  masterly  power  of 


Randolph's  oratory,  it  is  said,  lay  ir^  his  articu- 
lation. ^^  Who  ever  possessed  a  more  disagreea- 
ble creaking  yoice  than  John  Randolph  of  Eoa- 
noke  ?  And  yet  whose  voice  by  cultivation 
became  so  fascinating  as  his,  and  haunted  the 
hearer  like  the  spell  of  a^  enchantress  ?  If 
when  laboring  under  so  great  disadvantages,  men 
have  by  attention  to  articulation  attained  such 
eloquence,  what  encouragement  to  those  whose 
voices  are  naturally  melodious  !" 

4.  Four  general  suggestions  as  to  the  meth- 
od of  securing  a  clean  articulation,  may  be 
noted. 

First.  Practice  daily  phonetic  spelling.  Take 
a  word  and  emphasize  equally  each  syllable. 
Drawl  it.  WasJi'ing-ton.  Then  spell  by  sound, 
giving  each  element  with  a  clear,  energetic  utter- 
ance, oo-a-sh-ing-t-o-n.  The  effect  of  this  exer- 
cise is  direct  and  immediate,  in  correcting  a  slov- 
enly style  of  speech. 

Second.  Vocalization  is  improved  by  singing. 
The  free  opening  of  the  mouth  necessary  to  the 
singer,  the  deliberation  required  to  properly 
locate  the  cone  of  vibration,  and  the  change  of 
pitch  and  power,  are  all  helpful  in  promoting 
clear  articulation. 

Third.  Whispering  develops  the  articulating 
powers.  No  exercise  is  more  important,  in  the 
view  of  Prof.  Mcllvaine,  for  ^*  thus  the  distinc- 
tion of  vocality  and  non-vocality  is  eliminated, 
and  the  only  way  of  making  one's  self  under- 


40  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

stood,  is  by  the  strength  and  precision  of  articu- 
lation. The  attempt  to  speak  in  a  whisper  to 
persons  at  a  little  distance  thus  brings  out  all 
the  speaker's  articulating  powers." 

Fourth.  Frequent  practice  on  difficult  combi- 
nations of  elements  is  advised.  Begin  very 
slowly,  even  drawl,  until  the  sounds  are  familiar. 
Then  accelerate  until  the  organs  are  flexible  and 
obedient.  Mr.  Moody,  the  revivalist,  is  said  to 
have  spoken  two  hundred  and  twenty  words  a 
minute.  Such  precipitate  speech  is  rarely  intel- 
ligible. For  practice  however,  the  familiar  lines 
may  be  rapidly  repeated, 

Peter  Prangle,  the  prickly  pear  picker,  picked  three 
pecks  of  prickly  prankly  pears  from  the  prickly  pear 
trees  on  the  pleasant  prairies. 

or 

Theophilus  Thistleton  thoroughly  thrashed 
Three  thin  tinkers  traveling  through  Totten ; 
Since  Theophilus  Thistleton  thoroughly  thrashed 
Three  thin  tinkers  traveling  through  Totten, 
Tremblingly,  traveling  tinkers  tread  through  Totten. 

Tables  fob  Practice. 


VOfWBLg. 

SUB-TOWELi 

Il 

as  in 

ale 

b 

as  in 

hoyi 

a 

€€ 

arm 

d 

t€ 

daj 

a 

it 

all 

g 

a 

9^7 

a 

€t 

aa 

1 

u 

fay 

AETICULATIOiq^. 

YOWXLS. 

SuB-yowsLA. 

as  in 

eve 

m 

as  in 

md,\m 

€< 

end 

n 

tf( 

nine 

€i 

tie 

ng 

f< 

Bong 

a 

in 

r 

a 

roU 

(( 

dd 

th 

a 

^^en 

0 

<i 

tomb 

V 

it 

vile 

0 

i( 

on 

w 

i< 

went 

u 

<i 

twbe 

y 

€€ 

^oke 

a 

(( 

wp 

z 

« 

2;one 

a 

a 

iuW 

z 

ft 

amre 

on 

€€ 

out 

Aspirates. 

Compound  ELBMENTg. 

f 

as  in 

/ame 

oi 

as  in 

oil 

h 

6i 

Aat 

gz 

C( 

tugs 

k 

a 

yfcite 

ai 

t( 

air 

P 

t( 

pit 

tch 

(C 

etch 

8 

i€ 

sm 

i 

it 

job 

8h 

« 

slmdiQ 

ks 

it 

oaihr 

t 

(( 

rtn 

th 

iC 

thm 

-wh 

u 

what 

41 


Combinations  of  other  elements  can  readily  be 
found  in  any  spelling  book  and  may  be  pra^jticed 
with  rising  and  falling  inflections,  with  varied 
pitch  and  force.  The  following  table  was  pre- 
pared by  Dr.  Barber,  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons,  London,  and  will  furnish  admirable 
drill  in  articulation. 


Table  of  Coksokakt  Soukda. 


TS  COKBINATIOV. 


Bd.  hdst,  as  in  ov-Vd,  pro-J'J'^/. 

hi     hid.     hldsL  ''  2i-hU,iYO\Ji-hVd,tYow-hVd^8i^ 

hlz.  hist.  ''        tYon-bles,  tron-hrsi 

hr.  "  hr-and, 

hs.  hst.  "  Ti'hs,  Yoh'Vst. 

hz.  '^  ]}YO-hes. 

dl.      did,      dlz.  "  can-dley  laxn-drd,  can-dies, 

dlst.  "        ion-dVst. 

dr.  "  dr-OYe. 

dz.  "  dee-^75. 

dth.  dths.  "  brea-fZ/7^,  hYca-dths. 

fd.  fdst.  "  ree-/VZ,  Yee-fd'sL 

a.  fid.  fist,  flz.  "  /-ame,     tri-/'^/,     iYi-JVgt, 

"        iYi'fles. 

fr.  "  /r-ame. 

/5.  /5^.  "  laxx-ghsy  lan-gh'st, 

ft.  fts.  ftst.  "  wa-//J,  wa-/i^5,  wa-ffst. 

A  "  cli-jf5. 

^rf.  ^^5/.  "  hYag-ged,  hYug-fd'st. 

gl.      gld.      glz.  "  gl-o^,  hag-gled,  mau-gUij 

gist.  *^        man-grst. 

gr.  **  ^r-ave. 

gz.  gst.  "  pi-^5,  wsi-g'si. 

jd.  "       hed-^eJ. 

M  "  ba-cFi. 


ARTICULATION.                                 43 

Iri      hid.     klz. 

as  in 

un-cZe,  tin-dW,  truc-ifoa, 

kZst.  kldsL 

(( 

truc-^r^^,  ixViQ.'kVd'sL 

in.    knd,     knz. 

(C 

blac-^e;i,  blac-^mW,  blac- 

kiuL  kndsL 

a 

kms^   blac-^ew'5/,  blao- 

K 

ken^d'^st. 

Ir. 

C( 

cr-onej. 

ks,  kst. 

<( 

thiTi-^5,  thin-Fst. 

lb.  Ihd.  Ibz. 

c< 

e-lbe,  huWd,  bu-lbs. 

Id.  Idz.  Idst. 

a 

hO'ld,  hO'lds,  hO'ld^st. 

If.  Ifs.  Ift. 

(( 

^-Ify  Q'lfs,  de-lft  ware. 

Ih 

(( 

hii'lge. 

Ik.  Ikd.  Iks.  IkL 

it 

mi'lky  mi-Wd,  si-Iks,  mu- 

Ikts. 

u 

let,  mii-lds. 

Im.  Imd.  Imz. 

(( 

e-lm,  whe-lm'd,  whe-lms. 

In. 

(( 

iei'lln. 

Ip.  Ips.  Ipst. 

a 

he-lp,  he-lps,  he-lp^st. 

Is.  1st. 

i< 

fa-lse,  ia-lVst. 

It.  Uz. 

(( 

te-lt,  hsL'lts. 

Iv.  Ivd.  Ivz. 

a 

she-lve,  she-lv^d,  e-Jves. 

Iz. 

it 

ha-lls. 

Isli.  Ishd. 

a 

^-Ich,  ^-Ich'd. 

Ith.  Iths. 

a 

hed,'lth,  hearlths. 

md. 

a 

ento-mVd. 

mf. 

a 

hu-mph'Yj. 

mt.  mtz. 

it 

atte-mpt,  eitte-mpts. 

mz.  mst. 

tt 

to-mbs,  ento-m¥st. 

nd.  ndz.  ndst. 

ft 

a-nd,  ha-nds,  se-nd'st. 

nj.  njd. 

tt 

ra-nge,  ra-ng^d. 

nk.  nks.  nkst. 

tt 

thi-nk,  thi-nks,  ihi-nK'H 

nt.  ntst.  ntz. 

tt 

se-nt,  wa-nfst,  w&-nts. 

nx. 

ti 

^-n$. 

14 


fOCAL  OULTUEB. 


nsh.  nsJid, 

as  in  &i'7ich,  fli-wcA'rf. 

nst. 

<< 

wi-nc^d. 

ngd. 

(C 

ha,'ng^d. 

ngz. 

ii 

BO-ngs. 

ngth.  ngths. 

ti 

stre-ngth,  sire-ngths. 

pL     pld.     ph. 

it 

pl'Uck,   Yi]^-pled,  rip-;?lM, 

plsL 

(< 

rip  pV  St. 

pr. 

(C 

pr-aj. 

ps.  pst. 

i< 

cli-ps,  nip'p^st. 

rh.     rid.      rlz. 

<< 

he-rl,  hsL-rl^d,  he-rls,  ba 

rlst.  rldst. 

<c 

rl'st,  ha-rl'd'st. 

rd.  rdz.  rdsL 

tc 

hsi-rd,  hsi-rds,  heorrd'st. 

rf.  rft. 

(( 

sn-rf,  wha-rf'd. 

rg.  rgz. 

tc 

hvL-rgh,  hu-rghs. 

rj.  rjd. 

tc 

ha-rge,  n-rg^d. 

rh.     rkt.     rlcz. 

cc 

harric,      ha-rFd,      a-rc*, 

rJcst.  rhtst. 

cc 

ha-rFst,  hei-rk^d^st. 

rl.       rid.       rlz. 

cc 

sna-rZ,     hu-rld,      msL-rls, 

rlst.  rldst. 

cc 

snei-rrst,  Bna-rVd^st. 

rm.   rufid.    rtnz. 

cc 

VL-rm,       a-rm'cf,      Brrms, 

rmst.  rmdst. 

cc 

a-rm^st,  a-rm^d'st. 

rn.rnd.  rnt.rnz. 

cc 

hvL'7'n,    hu-rn'd,    hu-rnt, 

rnst.  rndst. 

tt 

vi-r^is,  ea-rn^stfetk-rn^d^st. 

rp.  rpd.  rpz. 

cc 

ha-rp,  hsL-rp^dy  ha-rps. 

rs.  rst.  rsts. 

ic 

hea-rse,  tea-r^st,  hu-rsts. 

rt.  rts.  rtst. 

cc 

hea-rt,  hea-rts,  hw-rfst. 

rv.  rvd.  rvz. 

C€ 

cii-rve,    cu-rv^d,    cn-rveSf 

rvst.  rvdst. 

n 

cu-rv^st,  cn-rv^d'st. 

rx.  rxt. 

tt 

io-rJcs,  ma-rFst. 

rz. 

tt 

e-rrs. 

rch.  rcht. 

tt 

hea-rch,  sea-rcA'rf. 

AETICULATIOJ^.                                 45 

rjih. 

as  ii 

i  hsL-rsh, 

rtL  rths. 

a 

hea-rth,  heek-rtJia. 

ah.  shd. 

(< 

sh-ip,  pU'Sh'd. 

ah.     shd. 

aha. 

e( 

msi-sh,    ma-^i'd,    ma-«4#^ 

shst. 

iC 

m3,'Sh'at. 

si  aid. 

ii 

al'SLj,  ne-a-irVd. 

am. 

a 

am^-oko. 

an. 

i€ 

an-siil. 

sp.  aps. 

it 

ap'Si,  whi'Spa. 

St.  str.  ats. 

a 

starve,  atr-ong,  hn-ata. 

th.     tlid. 

thz. 

a 

th'iney  wresiWd,  wreartha, 

that. 

iC 

wreei'th^at. 

th.     thm. 

thr. 

a 

th'istle,  rhj'thm,  ^Ar-ough, 

thz. 

<c 

hesirths. 

tl.  tld.  th. 

tut. 

a 

lit'tle,  Bet-tied,  hsLt-tlea,  set- 

tldst. 

a 

trst,  seUrd'at. 

tr. 

a 

tr-SLYois. 

tz.  tat. 

iC 

hsi-ts,  comhs^'fat. 

vd.  vdst. 

a 

sweY'V^d,  llv^d^at. 

vl.  vld.  viz. 

vlat. 

a 

swi-vel,  dii'Verdy  dri-wfe, 

vldat. 

a 

dvi'Verst,  dvi'VePd'at. 

vn. 

a 

dvi'Ven. 

vz. 

a 

li'Vea. 

vat. 

a 

li'V'at. 

zl.      zld. 

zlz. 

a 

mnz'zle,  mxLZ'zrd,mvLZ'Zle$, 

zlst.  zldat 

'. 

a 

muz'zrat,  mnz-zrdUt. 

zm.  zmz. 

a 

spa-5m,  spsL-ama. 

tn.     znd. 

znz. 

(< 

pri'Son,  impri-50wW,    pri 

znat.  zndat. 

a 

sona,   im-pri'aon'atf  im- 

a 

-pn-son^d^st. 

chU 

€t 

tet-ch'd. 

46  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

General  Eemarks.  1.  There  are  a  few 
worde  which  suffer  special  abuse  at  the  hands  ol 
most  people.  No  word  in  the  languge,  accord- 
ing to  Kirkham,  *'  is  more  frequently  trampled 
upon  than  the  poor  drudge  and.  No  slave  was 
ever  more  grossly  abused.  Three  times  out  of 
four  it  is  passed  by  with  merely  an  uncourteous 
nasal  salute,  although  entitled  io  three  distinct 
elementary  sounds." 

What  is  commonly  called  whut;  arms  pro- 
nounced as  if  it  were  alms;  his  as  if  is;  gospel  is 
often  called  gosple;  "God,"  gaud,  Rinse,  reuse. 
Council  should  be  distinguished  in  pronuncia- 
tion from  counsel,  prophesy  the  verb  from  the 
noun,  stationary  from  stationery,  foment  from 
ferment,  currier  irom  courier, pillow  hom  pillar 
principal  from  principle,  capitol  from  capital 
int;aZid  from  mvalid. 

K  was  called  by  the  Komans  litera  canina^ 
the  snarling  letter,  and  the  present  inhabitants 
of  Italy  give  it  a  forcible  trill.  No  sound  has 
more  modifications  in  different  lands.  In  the 
Sandwich  Islands  it  is  pronounced  like  I,  on 
some  of  the  British  islands,  like  h,  and  here  it  is 
often  changed  to  ah,  as  door,  doah;  art,  aht; 
while  words  like  law  receive  an  r,  lor. 

Those  wishing  to  study  the  linguistic  feat- 
ares  of  our  civilization,  climatic  influences  as 
related  to  articulation,  and  the  influence  of  read- 
ing on  correct  utterance,  will  find  the  thirtieth 


ARTICULATION.  4? 

of  G.  P.  Marsh's  lectures  on  the  English  Lan 
guage  very  useful. 

These  terminations  are  often  mutilated  ;  ness 
and  less  changed  to  niss  and  liss,  me7it  to  munt, 
and  i7ig  to  in. 

Articulation  is  also  marred  by  the  omission 
of  syllables;  histry,  evry,  reglar  for  history, 
every,  regular ;  also  by  changing  them,  as  ow 
into  er,  feller  for  fellow,  and  by  omitting  single 
letters,  prmote  for  promote,  febuary  for  february. 

2.  Clear  articulation  may  be  cultivated  by 
noticing  the  analogies  of  sound. 

St,  like  the  Latin  sto,  is  a  root  indicating 
firmness  and  strength.  Stout,  stop,  stand,  stay, 
staff,  steady,  stamp,  statute. 

Str  suggests  violent  force,  as  strive,  stress, 
strike,  struggle, 

Thr  suggests  forcible  motion,  as  throw, 
thrust^  thrill,  throh,  threaten,  throttle. 

Gl  introduces  words  representing  smooth  or 
silent  motion,  glib,  glide,  gloss,  glow,  gloom, 
while  Sw,  those  expressive  of  lateral  motion,  as 
swerve,  sway,  swing,  swim,  sweep,  swoop,  and 
Wr,  distortion,  wring,  wrong,  wrestle,  wrangle, 
wrest,  wry,  wriggle,  writhe,  wrench. 

Sp  suggests  expansion,  as  spread,  splashy 
sprout,  spill,  split,  spring. 

SI  suggests  gentle  motion,  as  slip,  slide,  slow, 
slack,  slit,  sling. 

So  terminations  are  significant^  as  ash,  indica- 
ting something  acting  sharply  and  with  speed,  aa 


48  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

flashy  lash,  slash,  crash,  smash,  dash,  and  Hsh^ 
fchat  which  acts  more  obtusely,  as,  crush,  gush, 
blush,  brush,  hush. 

Noticing  these  and  other  pictorial  features  of 
words,  one  may  impart  vividness  to  his  speech 
and  so  make  even  his  articulation  an  unconscious 
ally  in  producing  impression.  In  the  expres- 
sion, "  the  hiss  of  the  serpent,"  a  speaker  once 
slightly  prolonged  the  final  sound  of  hiss.  It 
was  wholly  an  unconscious  act,  only  that  he  had 
long  been  trained  in  articulation.  One  of  his 
hearers  told  him  afterwards  that  a  vivid  dream 
of  a  serpent  was  the  result  of  that  slight  sibilant 
sound.  On  his  departure  for  the  Pacific  coast. 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  L.  Stone  alluded  to  "the  wash  of 
its  waves,"  giving  unintentionally  a  fulness  to  the 
final  sh.  It  made  a  picture  instantly.  Ten 
years  have  not  in  the  least  degree  dimmed  its 
clearness  to  the  writer's  mind. 

The  articulation  of  a  single  monosyllable  by 
President  Humphrey  of  Amherst  College  about 
forty  years  ago,  came,  says  Mr.  Beecher,  like  a 
bullet.  *^  It  has  remained  in  memory  ever  since. 
It  gave  an  impulse  to  my  whole  life  and  affected 
my  course  and  labor  as  a  reformer.  It  was  the 
effect  of  but  a  single  word." 

3.  In  his  Yale  Lectures,  Mr.  Beecher  com- 
mends variety  of  vocal  tones  in  addressing  an  au- 
dience. "  If  you  wish  to  draw  them  into  sym- 
pathy and  to  win  them  by  persuasion,  and  you  are 
near  enough  for  them  to  feel  your  magnetism 


AETICULATION^.  49 

and  see  your  eye,  so  that  you  need  not  haye  to 
strain  your  voice,  you  must  talk  to  them  as  a 
father  would  talk  to  his  child.  You  will  draw 
them,  and  will  gain  their  assent  to  your  propo- 
sitions, when  you  could  do  it  in  no  other  way, 
and  certainly  not  by  shouting. 

**  On  the  other  hand,  where  you  are  in  eager 
exhortation,  or  speaking  on  public  topics,  where 
your  theme  calls  you  to  denunciation,  to  invective 
or  anything  of  that  kind,  it  is  then  that  the 
sharp  and  ringing  tones  that  belong  to  the  upper 
register  are  sometimes  well-nigh  omnipotent. 
There  are  cases  in  which  by  a  single  explosive 
tone  a  man  will  drive  home  a  thought  as  a  ham- 
mer drives  a  nail ;  and  there  is  no  escape  from 
It.'* 

Many  preachers,  he  says,  know  nothing 
about  the  helpfulness  of  this  tone  in  carrying 
nome  conviction.  He  says  that  after  three  years 
mcessant  drill  in  elocution  during  academic 
Jife,  he,  with  others,  continued  the  same  in  the 
seminary. 

**  We  practiced  a  great  deal  on  what  was  called 
*Dr.  Barber's  System,'  which  was  then  in 
vogue,  and  particularly  in  developing  the  voice 
in  what  is  called  its  low  register,  and  also  upon 
the  explosive  tones.  There  was  a  large  grove  ly- 
ing between  the  seminary  and  my  father's  house, 
and  it  was  the  habit  of  my  brother  Charles  and 
myself,  and  one  or  two  others,  to  make  the  night, 
and  even  the  day,  hideoua  with  our  voices,  as  we 


50  VOCAL   CULTUEB. 

passed  backward  and  forward  through  the  wood, 
exploding  all  the  vowels,  from  the  bottom  to  the 
very  top  of  our  voices.  I  found  it  to  be  a  very 
manifest  benefit,  and  one  that  has  remained  with 
me  all  my  life  long.  The  drill  that  I  underwent 
produced,  not  a  rhetorical  manner,  but  a  flexi- 
ble instrument,  that  accommodated  itself  readily 
to  every  kind  of  thought  and  every  shape  of 
feeling,  and  obeyed  the  inward  will  in  the  out- 
ward realization  of  the  results  of  rules  and  reg- 
ulations." 

Syllabication". 

1.  Syllabication  or  the  forming  of  syllables 
mcludes  accentuation  and  pronunciation.  All 
are  naturally  considered  under  the  general  topic 
of  Articulation. 

Many  words  are  monosyllables,  in  which  pro- 
nunciation and  articulation  are  the  same.  But 
language  grows,  symbols  and  sounds  diverge,  as 
hence  written  tongues  become  obsolete,  as  the 
classic  Sanskrit  and  Chinese. 

2.  Monosyllables  have  but  a  single  impulse^ 
and  polysyllables  but  one  primary  accent. 

3.  Sometimes  the  division  of  a  word  into 
syllables  is  arbitrary,  as  in  poetry,  when  metre 
governs;  but  the  rules  for  division  are  either 
founded  in  the  vocality  of  the  vowels,  or  the  re- 
lation of  the  elements  to  each  other.  Dr.  Rush, 
Prof.  Mcllvaine  and  others  have  gone  into  the 
details  of  the  subject,  which  belong  rather  to 
Orthoepy  than  to  a  work  on  voice  culture. 


ABTICULATIOM.  61 

4.  In  general,  it  may  be  said,  one  consonant 
between  two  vowels,  is  taken  with  the  second,  as 
e-ven  o-pen,  except  where  the  vowel  is  short  and 
aoceiited,  as  lep-er,  top-ic.  Two  consonants  be- 
tween two  vowels  separate  each  to  its  adjacent 
vowel,  as  ar-row,  sig-nal.  If  the  second  conso- 
nant is  a  liquid,  both  are  usually  to  go  with  the 
succeeding  vowel,  as  se-cret.  He-brew.  If  there 
are  three  or  more  consonants,  one  goes  with  the 
first  and  the  rest  with  the  succeeding  vowel,  as 
con-struct.  Prefixes  and  sufilxes  are  separated 
from  the  primitives  as  bond-age,  enroll-ing. 

5.  Accent  gives  unity  to  words,  significance 
of  meaning,  antithesis  and  rhythm.  The  English 
is  rich  in  this  regard.  Words  of  French  origin 
usually  are  accented  on  the  last  syllable,  as  par- 
terre, but  Anglo  Saxon  on  the  root,  as  back- 
ward, 8can-ty. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Stbess  and  Emphasis. 

Stbess  is  the  application  of  vocal  force.  It 
involves  the  idea  of  time  as  well  as  force.  It 
differs  from  accent  or  emphasis.  This  will  be- 
come evident  when  we  consider  the  six  kinds  of 
stress,  as  first  analyzed  by  Dr.  Kush.  These 
are  Eadical,  Median,  Terminal,  Compound, 
Thorough  and  Vibratory. 

1.  Eadical  Stress  is  an  explosive  force  at 
the  beginning  of  a  syllable,  as  : 

Up !  comrades,  up  1  in  Rokeby's  halls, 
Ne*er  be  it  said  our  courage  falls. 

It  is  the  characteristic  of  vehement  conviction. 
It  has  to  do  with  the  intellect  and  will,  and 
is  used  in  argumentative  discourse.  Stirring 
thoughts  require  radical  stress.  Too  much  of  it, 
of  course,  is  a  fault,  and  savors  of  arrogance,  but 
the  absence  of  it  makes  the  noblest  sentiment 
insipid.  As  James  E.  Murdoch  says,  "  the  right 
degree  of  this  function  indicates  the  manly,  self- 
possessed  and  impressive  speaker.  The  energy 
of  the  radical  movement  may  be  termed  the 
salt  and  the  relish  of  oral  communication,  as  it 


STRESS  AND   EMPHASIS.  6d 

preserves  the  pungency  and  penetrating  effect  a 
articulate  utterance.  The  argumentative  speak- 
er who  has  not  this  quality  at  command,  seems 
to  strike  with  the  flat  rather  than  the  edge  of 
the  oratorical  weapon. '^  Even  animals  know  the 
authority  it  breathes. 

Let  the  student  practice  such  extracts  as  the 
speech  of  Cassius  to  Brutus,  which  begins,  "  Hon- 
or is  my  story, '^  or  Arnold  Winkelried,  ^^  Make 
way  for  liberty  ! "  or  Patrick  Henry's  speech  at 
the  Virginia  Convention,  1775. 

2.  Median  Stress  may  be  compared  to  the 
musical  crescendo.  The  voice  begins  with  soft- 
ness, then  swells  and  diminishes.  The  tone 
used  is  the  pure  or  orotund  and  the  movbment 
itself  is  adapted  to  poetic  or  emotional  utter- 
ance. 

If  overdone,  this  form  of  vocal  expression  be- 
comes sing-song  and  mouthing,  but  properly 
rendered  it  is  one  of  the  highest  embellishments 
of  elocution.  Unlike  the  Kadical,  which  has  to 
do  with  syllables,  the  Median  stress  covers  words 
and  clauses,  and  exhibits  varied  and  graceful 
gradations. 

There  is  a  delicate,  subdued  swell  expressive 
of  tranquillity  and  of  admiration,  as: 

All  hail !  thou  lovely  queen  of  night  t 

Sublimity  and  reverence  require  a  deepei 
tone  and  fuller  crescendo,  as: 


64  VOCAL   CULTUKJ£. 

Father  I  thy  hand 
Hath  reared  these  venerable  columns.     Thou 
Didst  weave  this  verdant  roof.     Thou  didst  look  down 
Upon  the  naked  earth. and  forthwith  rose 
All  these  fair  ranks  of  trees. 
Fit  shrine  for  humble  worshipper  to  hold 
Communion  with  his  Maker  I 

The  book  of  Psalms,  and  other  devotional 
portions  of  the  Bible,  require  this  style  of  ex- 
pression. 

3.  Tekmin^al  stress  is  force  on  final  sounds. 
It  is  expressive  of  earnest  purpose,  and  high- 
wrought  feeling. 

Contradiction,  rebuke  and  menace,  naturally 
take  the  final  or  vanishing  force,  so  also  scorn 
and  malignity. 

You  sTuulf  I  won't/ 

But  here  I  stand  and  scoff  you  I  here  I  fling 
Hatred  and  full  defiance  in  your  face  1 

Fret  till  your  proud  heart  break  / 

Oo,  show  your  slaves  how  choleric  you  are. 

4.  CoMPOUN^D  STRESS  unitcs  the  Eadical  and 
Terminal  stress.  It  expresses  sarcasm,  surprise 
and  contempt. 

Will  not  the  villain  drown  t 

6.  Thorough  stress  is  a  full,  sustained, 
"organ  tone."    It  is  used  in  calling,  as, 


STRESS  AKD   EMPHASIS.  66 

Lend,  lend,  your  wings,  I  mount,  1  flj  I 
O  Grave  I  where  is  thy  victory  ? 

0  Death  1  where  is  thy  sting  ? 

Boat  alloy !  Boat  ahoy  ! 

It  is  also  appropriate  to  rapturous  exultation 
and  kindred  emotions. 

These  are  thy  glorious  works.  Parent  of  good, 

Almighty ;  thine  this  universal  frame, 

Thus  wondrous  fair ;  thyself  how  wondrous  then! 

Unspeakable,  who  sit'st  above  the  heavens. 

To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen 

In  these  thy  lowest  works ;  yet  these  declare 

Thy  goodness  beyond  thought  and  power  divine. 

6.  ViBRATOKY  STRESS  is  a  tremor,  or  inter- 
mittent emission  of  the  voice.  It  is  compared 
to  the  shivering  motion  of  the  muscular  frame, 
and  is  appropriate  to  represent  the  pathos  oi 
grief,  and  sometimes  the  tremor  of  joy. 

Miranda's  ejaculations  illustrate  the  latter  : 

Oh  I  wonder  1 
How  many  goodly  creatures  are  there  here ! 
How  beauteous  mankind  is  I  Oh  1  brave  new  world. 
That  has  such  people  in  't  1 

Eve,  pleading  with  Adam  not  to  leave  her 
with  grief  and  almost  terror, 

1  beg  and  clasp  thy  knees ;  bereave  me  not. 
Whereon  I  live,  thy  gentle  looks,  thy  aid. 
Thy  counsel  in  this  uttermost  distress. 
My  only  strength  and  stay  ;  forlorn  of  thee 
Whither  shall  I  betake  me,  where  subsiBtt 


66  TOCAL  CULTUEB. 

Fatigue  and  exhaustion  are  pictured,  not  only 
by  prone  posture,  limp  and  languid  motions,  bui 
by  tremor  of  Toice. 

Dear  master,  I  can  go  no  farther ; 

Oh  1  I  die  for  food  1    Here  I  lie  down  and  measure  out 
my  grave.    Farewell ! 

So  Orlando's  response  to  Adam  would  take, 
sympathetically,  the  same  tremor,  as  in  soothing 
or  coaxing. 

Live  a  little,  comfort  a  little,  cheer  thjself  a  little 
For  my  sake  be  comfortable  ;  hold  death  awhile  at  th» 
arms*  end,  I  will  here  be  with  thee  presently. 

The  vibratory  stress  w  alsp  shown  in  th# 
tones  of  trembling  age. 

Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man 

Whose  trembling  limbs  have  borne  b'm  ^  your  doo» 
Whose  days  are  dwindled  to  the  shortest  span. 

0 1  give  relief,  and  Heaven  wiU  bless  your  store. 

Good  taste  governs  here,  as  in  other  elocu 
tionary  efforts.  A  perfect  command  of  th> 
form  of  stress  is  secured,  as  Russell,  suggests,  b; 
**  often  repeated  practice  on  elements,  syllable, 
and  words,  as  well  as  on  appropriate  passages  o^ 
impassioned  language.  Without  its  appeals  to 
sympathy  and  its  peculiar  power  over  the  heart, 
many  of  the  most  beautiful  and  touching  passa- 
ges of  Shakespeare  and  Milton  become  dry  and 
cold.  Like  the  tremula  of  the  accomphshed*  vo- 
calist, it  has  a  charm,  for  the  absence  of  which 


STRESS  AND   EMPflASIo.  ST 

nothing  can  atone,  since  nature  suggests  it  aa  the 
genuine  utterance  of  the  most  delicate  and  thrill- 
ing emotion.  On  the  other  hand,  its  indis- 
criminate or  too  frequent  use  will  spoil  the  effect 
of  the  best  composition,  and  render  ridiculous 
the  most  tender  and  pathetic  utterance.'* 

Emphasis.  By  this  is  meant  an  impressive 
expression  of  words  and  sentences  according  tc 
the  sentiment  conveyed  by  them.  Mere  accent 
has  to  do  with  syllables,  but  Emphasis,  like 
** Expression"  in  music,  applies  to  consecutive 
sounds. 

We  speak  of  the  drift  of  a  discourse,  or  the 
prevailing  character  of  it.  Dr.  Kush  uses  the 
same  word  to  describe  the  recurrence  of  any 
style  of  expression,  or  tone.  It  is  often  a  per- 
suasive charm  of  speech  if  skillfully  introduced. 
**  The  ear  of  discerning  judgment  and  of  true 
taste,  however,  is  always  offended  by  any  percep- 
tible drift,  not  authorized  by  a  predominating 
emotion  associated  with  the  language  of  a  speak- 
er, or  composition  in  the  hands  of  a  reader." 

1.  The  first  form  of  emphatic  expression  has 
been  illustrated  by  force.  Loudness  of  voice 
gives  a  kind  of  impressiveness.  Authority,  sur- 
prise or  anger  is  often  shown  simply  by  an  ener- 
getic expulsion  of  voice. 

2.  There  is  the  emphasis  of  Pause.  This  is 
vastly  more  effective  than  mere  loudness.  Take 
the  request  of  Paul  before  Agrippa,  as  a  familiar 
example.     Bepeat  it  without  a  pause  and  then 


68  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

notice  the  improyement  made  by  a  pause  before 
the  last  word  ;  keeping  up  :he  voice  on  the  word 
"me." 

"I  beseech  thee  to  hear  me  patiently." 

With  the  pauses  of  grammar,  all  are  familiar, 
but  rhythmical  and  rhetorical  pauses  are  vivid 
representatives  of  metrical  beauty  and  impas- 
sioned utterance.  The  latter  produce  amazing 
results.  One  can  imagine  the  awful  hush  which 
followed  the  words  of  Antony. 

My  heart  is  in  the  coffin  there  with  CaeoKt, 
And  I  must  pause  till  it  come  back  to  me. 

Though  speech  is  silver,  silence  is  said  to  be 
golden,  for  it  adds  to  the  feeling  already  roused 
by  eye  and  ear,  the  power  of  the  imagination. 
"  It  is  analogous  to  that  stroke  of  high  art  em- 
ployed by  an  ancient  painter,  who,  in  order  to 
represent  the  overwhelming  grief  and  despair  of 
Agamemnon,  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  daughter 
Iphigenia  at  Aulis,  portrayed  him  with  a  veil 
over  his  face,  that  the  imagination  might 
be  left  to  conceive  of  what  no  art  could  de- 
pict." 

Pulpit  orators,  like  Massillon  and  Whitetield, 
understood  this  element  of  dramatic  art.  When 
the  former  was  closing  his  discourse  at  St.  Eus- 
tache,  on  the  small  number  of  the  elect,  the 
entire  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  "  as  if  looking 
for  the  archangel  to  sound/' 


STRESS   AKD   EMPHASIS.  69 

Wliitefield's  call  to  the  recording  angel  to  stay, 
was  another  bold  employment  of  this  form  oi 
expression,  which  in  the  case  of  an  inferior 
speaker,  or  less  excited  audience  would  have  been 
a  failure. 

3.  The  emphasis  of  Tone  is  another.  It  is 
not  the  loudness  of  utterance,  but  that  delicate, 
subtle  and  often  unconscious  inflection  of  the 
voice,  that  conveys  an  impression  which  the  wor^ 
itself  is  inadequate  to  convey. 

The  student  will  do  well  to  notice  the  voices 
in  the  street,  of  children  at  play  and  ordinary 
conversation,  if  he  would  understand  the  mar- 
velous variety  of  expression  in^he  human  voice, 

Cade^stce  is  the  closing  tone  of  the  sentence. 
It  is  partial,  when  a  part  of  the  meaning  is  com- 
pleted, and  complete  when  the  whole  is  finished. 
In  the  following  sentence,  the  word  **  closing  " 
marks  the  partial  cadence,  and  the  last  word  the 
final  falling  of  the  voice. 

I  liave  but  one  remark  to  make  in  closing,  and  I  shall 
make  it  once  for  all. 

Nowhere  is  the  need  of  a  competent  teacher 
realized  more,  than  in  this  simple,  yet  important 
and  difficult  exercise. 

The  following  are  illustrations  of  cadence. 
The  first  is  plaintive,  with  a  chromatic  triad,  and 
the  second  with  a  falling  fifth. 


60  VOCAL  CDLTUKE. 

Pity  the  ^^^  rows  of  a  poor^j^ 

Bru       says  ^®  was  *^^^. 
tus  ^^^^ 

The  tremulous  intervals  are  too  minute  to  be 
measured.  The  celebrated  Mara  had  a  compass 
of  three  octaves,  and  she  was  able,  it  is  said,  to 
determine  the  contractions  of  her  vocal  muscles 
to  about  the  seventeen- thousandth  of  an  inch, 
or  sound  a  hundred  different  intervals  within 
the  limits  of  a  single  tor.e.  Savart  says  the 
perceptive  power  of  man  exceed*  eveu  24«00C 
vibrations  a    secSnd. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

INFLECTIONS,  Pitch  and  Melody. 

1.  Inflection  is  a  natural  slide  of  the  ^  oic€ 
m  speech.  It  is  a  function  of  pitch  and  is  con- 
crete or  continuous,  and  discrete  or  broken. 
The  concrete  is  illustrated  on  the  yiolin,  when 
the  stop  finger  is  drawn  up  and  down  a  string 
while  the  bow  crosses  it. 

So  the  word  "  indeed  "  uttered  in  surprise  or 
sarcasm,  with  a  descending  or  ascending  move- 
ment. The  discrete  is  shown  in  playing  or  sing- 
ing the  scale  with  a  rest  between  each  note. 

2.  The  voice,  like  the  violin,  usually  exhibits 
a  continuous  or  sliding  movement.  Keyed  in- 
struments like  the  piano  give  divided  sounds. 
Inattention  to  these  variations  causes  two  faults, 
very  common  in  reading,  monotony  and  sing 
song.  The  former  is  the  concrete  for  discrete 
as  in  the  tame  and  mechanical  recitation,  ham- 
mered out  on  one  key,  "  Ten -times-one-are- ten, 
ten-times-two-are-twenty."  The  wrong  use  of 
the  concrete  gives  a  monotonous  chant,  up  and 
down  with  uniform  cadence,  a  sing-song  or  so- 
porific lullaby. 


6J?  VOCAL   CULIUllE. 

3.  There  are  six  slides,  the  upward,  the  down 
ward,  the  rising  circumflex,  the  falling  circum- 
flex, the  double  rising,  and  the  double  falling 
circumflexes.  The  length  and  intensity  of  each 
is  measured  by  the  energy  of  feeling  to  be  ex- 
pressed. 

Illustrations  with  piano-forte  or  organ. 

Strike  F  and  then  G.  Sing  to  the  finpt  note 
the  syllable  I,  and  to  the  second  long  E.  Now 
repeat  the  question. 

''  Did  you  say  I  ?  " 

The  musical  intonation  of  the  last  word  in- 
dicates  the   IN^TERVAL  OF   THE   SECOKD,  USCd   in 

unexcitcd  statement,  in  simple  questions  oi 
narration. 

The  ikteryal  of  the  third  may  be  illus- 
trated with  the  same  sentence,  using  F  and  A. 
The  range  of  voice  is  increased  and  the  expres- 
sion of  the  sentiment  is  thereby  empliasized. 
Conceive  the  question  to  impugn  the  veracity  of 
the  person  addressed,  and  the  surprise  is  shown 
by  the  Fifth,  using  E  and  B  or  by  the  Octavb 
F  and  F,  where  the  highest  degree  of  astonish- 
ment and  irritation  is  shown. 

A  reply  to  each  of  these  queries  may  be  put 
into  the  expression: 

''YG^lyou.'' 

Take  A  and  G  on  the  instrument.  To  the 
first  note  put  long  u  and  to  the  second,  oo. 
Pronounce  both  at  once  and  you  have  the  down- 
W^d  second.     The  notes  indicated  by  the  letteri 


IKFLECTIONS.  63 

B  and  G,  give  tlie  slide  of  the  third;  u  and  i 
the  downward  fi/ih  and  ff  the  octave. 

4.  The  general  principle  which  governs  in- 
flections is  this ;  complete  and  positive  utter- 
ances take  a  downward  inflection,  while  incom- 
plete or  uncertain  ideas  are  expressed  by  an 
upward  turn.  Under  the  first  are  classed  sim- 
pie  affirmations,  as,  "  Time  is  money.'*  So  also 
are  questions  which  do  not  admit  of  an  answer 
yes  or  no,  and  those  beginning  with  a  pronoun 
or  adverb.  The  last  member  of  an  antithesis 
takes  the  downward  slide.  Concessions  and  cate- 
gorical questions  take  the  upward  inflection.  A 
repeated  question  or  an  appeal,  may,  however, 
take  a  downward  inflection. 

Illustrations  of  downward  movement. 

What  constitutes  a  State  ? 
Men,  high-minded  men. 

Why  walk  in  darkness  ? 
Why  shun  his  loving  ray  ? 

Smk  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish. 
The  following  have  the  upward  inflectioiL 

I  admit  that  he  meant  well. 
Will  you  go  with  me  ? 

Parentheses  usually  take  the  samB  final  mfleo 
fcion  as  that  of  the  preceding  member ;  as. 

He  (Edward  Everett)  was  an  eminent  scholar. 
Consult  your  best  friend,  (I  mean  your  mother)  when 
f  oa  are  in  doubt. 


(S4  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

Chore  IS  3.1S0  a  suspension  of  the  voice,  which 
differs  from  both  the  rising  and  falHng  inflection. 
It  resembles  a  rhetorical  pause,  yet  the  sound  is 
not  wholly  interrupted.  It  is  seen  in  the  famil- 
iar stanza 

There  is  a  fountain,  filled  with  blood 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins. 

Either  the  rising  or  falling  inflection  of 
*^ blood"  spoils  the  beauty  of  the  sentiment. 
The  word  is  slightly  prolonged,  and  joined  with 
the  word  '^  drawn,"  both  being  identical  in  pitch 
and  power.  Thus  rendered,  the  idea  i,s  made 
vivid  that  the  source  of  the  blood  is  the  very 
veins  of  Christ ! 

This  quality  of  voice  is  exhibited  in  such 
cumulative  descriptions  as  this  : 

Warms  in  the  sun,  refreshes  in  the  breeze, 
Glows  in  the  stars,  and  blossoms  in  the  trees. 
Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent^ 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unspent. 

Circumflexes  are  used  in  mockery,  petulance, 
sarcasm  and  other  forms  of  passion.  Cold,  intel- 
lectual tones  cannot  give  voice  to  raillery  or  bur- 
lesque, sorrow  or  scorn. 

An  expression  like  this,  illustrates  a  rising 
wave,  or  circumflex,  on  "  fear  ; " 
Do  you  fear  me  ? 

The  answer  shows  the  downward  wave  ; 
I  do  fear  you 


PITCH   AXD   MELODY.  C5 

A  double  wave,  rising,  is  seen  in  the  ^ord 
*  may ; " 

It  may  be  so. 

A  double  circumflex,  falling,  in  the  word 
'' fairer;'' 

She  is  fairer  than  I. 

But  the  living  voice  is  more  helpful  than 
diagrams  or  printed  examples  possibly  can  be. 

Pitch  and  Melody. 

1.  Pitch  is  the  degree  of  elevation  in  sound, 
[n  this  branch  of  elocutionary  drill,  we  again  see 
the  connection  between  the  singing  and  speaking 
voice.  Those  whose  musical  tastes  are  cultiva- 
ted, have  a  great  advantage,  not  only  in  flexi- 
bility, power  and  sweetness  of  tones,  but  in  deli- 
cacy of  hearing,  and  in  the  ease  with  which  they 
follow  a  teacher's  instructions. 

2.  The  term  Eegister  describes  the  compass 
of  the  voice,  or  a  portion  of  that  compass.  Dr. 
Rush,  Lablache,  Bassini,  Seller  and  others, 
have  investigated  the  subject  with  great  pains- 
taking. For  convenience  we  may  take  the  fol- 
lowing transitions  as  a  guide. 

The  Bass  Voice. 
E  F  G  A  B  0  D  E  F  G  A  B  0  D  E  F.     Tho 

1  fl      a         4        •        •       T         8         0     !•      11      IS      la     14     II      1 

first  eleven  notes  comprise  Madam  Seller's  first 
•eries  of  the  chest  Register  of  the  male  voiM. 


66  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

The  last  five  form  a  second  scries  of  the  chest 
•agister. 

The  Ten^or  Voice. 

The/r5^  series  of  the  chest  register  compnse 
the  8^^  9%  10**^  and  11^^  notes  indicated  above, 
and  the  remaining  five  the  second  series  of  the 
chest  register.  The  next  five  higher  notes  are 
the  first  falsetto  register  and  the  next  six  th^ 
second  series  of  falsetto,  rarely  used. 

The  Female  Voice. 

Beginning  with  E    of  the  tenor  voice,  six 
notes  mark  the  first  series  of  the  chest  register 
the  next  three  the  second  series  ;  the  next  four 
the  first  falsetto  ;  the  next  three,  the  second  fal- 
setto, and  seven  above  them  the  head  register, 

3.  All  forcing  of  the  voice  is  injurious  alike 
to  its  quality  and  pitch.  Practice  should  be  had 
with  moderate  breath,  beginning  in  the  middle 
voice  and  descend  with  quiet,  evenly  sustained 
tones.  As  Dr.  Streeter  says,  "  From  the  lower 
to  the  higher  is  nature's  law.  Trees  develop 
from  their  roots.  If  singers,  then,  wish  to  se- 
cure perfect  development  of  the  upper  tones,  let 
them  secure  a  healthy,  flexible  control  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  voice  first,  then,  when  tliey 
shall  have  developed  power,  let  them  properly 
direct  that  power  in  attaining  the  upper  tones, 
and  success  is  insured." 

4  TKe  sentiment  must  determine  the  pitch. 


PITCH    AX  I)    MELODY.  6? 

Dnemotional  utterances  take  tlie  middle  key, 
while  the  passions  take  wide  ranges  of  pitch. 
Earnest  and  serious  thought,  like  the  following 
Btanza,  should  be  recited  in  a  low,  grave  tone. 
Dr.  Payson's  utterance  of  these  words  is  said  to 
have  been  thrillingly  solemn. 

Lo  t  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land, 
Twixt  two  unbounded  seas,  I  stand, 

Yet  how  insensible  I 
A  point  of  time,  a  moment's  space, 
Removes  me  to  yon  heavenly  place. 

Or  shuts  me  up — in  hell  I 

An  extract  from  Mrs.  Hemans  is  an  example 
of  high  pitch. 

Ring  joyous  chords !  ring  out  again ! 

A  swifter  still  and  a  wilder  strain  1 

And  bring  fresh  wreaths,  we  will  banish  all 

Save  the  free  in  heart  from  our  festive  hall. 

5.  Most  of  people  pitch  their  voices  too  high, 
both  in  conversation  and  in  public  address.  On 
the  other  hand,  Eussell  suggests  that  studious 
people  are  apt  to  assume  a  low,  hollow  tone, 
which  gives  formality  and  dullness,  A  still 
more  noticeable  fault  of  this  class  is  the  habit  of 
lowering  the  pitch,  and  weakening  the  iitteranco 
as  a  sentence  proceeds.  A  full  volume  of  breath 
dies  always  to  a  feeble  close,  and  the  tone  itself 
slides  down  an  inclined  plane  into  indistinctive^ 
ness  and  insipidity.  There  may  be  but  little 
help  in  a  diagram,  but  the  following  from  Zachos, 


68  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

has  been  often  used  by  the  writer's  classes  as  an 
example  of  transition. 


Moderate  5 

Hoarse  wintry  blasts. 

4 

A  solemn  requiem  sung 

T^w  S 

To  the  departed  day, 
Upon  whose  bier  the  velvet 
pall  of  midnight  had  been  flung, 
And  nature  mourned  through  one 

2 

Very  low  1 

wide  hemisphere. 

To  those  who  are  bass  singers,  this  example 
may  be  of  use,  intoned  as  follows,  the  first  line  a 
low  D,  with  the  last  word  on  E  flat ;  the  first 
two  words  of  the  next  line  on  E  flat',  the  next 
five  on  E,  and  the  last  on  F  ;  and  the  last  line  F 
ending  with  P  sharp. 

There  was  silence,  and  I  heard  a  voice  saying,  shaL 
mortal  man  be  more  j  ust  than  God  ?  Shall  a  man  be 
moro  pure  than  his  Maker? 

1.  Melody  of  speech  is  the  progression  of 
successive  sounds.  It  is  Diatonic,  when  carried 
through  the  interval  of  a  whole  tone,  and  Chro- 
matic or  Semitonic,  when  the  progression  is 
through  a  half  tone.  The  former  is  used  in 
fiimple  narration,  and  the  latter  in  words  of  com- 
plaint or  tenderness,  and  in  the  whining  tone  of 
a  peevish  invalid. 

These  musical  terms  may  not  apply  as  strictly 
to  the  speaking  voice,  as  they  do  to  the  voice  in 
song  ;  yet  elocutionary  art  may  approximate  to 
the  precision  of  science.     The  Diatonic  melody 


PITCH   AND   MELODY.  69 

is  the  ordinary  flow  of  the  continuous  sounds 
in  the  scale,  never  rising  from  syllable  to  sylla- 
ble, more  than  two  degrees  in  any  one  succession, 
before  it  begins  to  fall ;  except  a  special  empha-  • 
sis  necessitates  a  skip  higher  or  lower.  But  wider 
sweeps  of  melody  are  had  in  sentences  and  their 
members.  These  and  the  capacity  of  different 
syllables  to  advance  melody,  are  explained  by 
Zachos  in  detail.  Analytic  Elocution,  chap.  iv.  j 
This  extract  from  Mrs.  Browning,  is  an  ex- 
ample of  progression  through  whole  tones.  . 

Poetry  is  essentially  truthfulness ;  and  the  very  Inco- 
herences of  poetic  dreaming,  are  but  the  struggles  and 
the  strife  to  reach  the  True  in  the  Unknown. 

Anton/s  speech  over  Brutus  furnishes  semi- 
tonic  intervals. 

O  mighty  Caesar  1  Dost  thou  lie  so  low  ? 

Are  all  thy  conquests,  glories,  triumphs,  spoils. 

Shrunk  to  this  little  measure  ? 

2.  The  mokotone  is  a  comparatively  un- 
varying movement  of  the  voice,  indicative  of 
vastness  or  o\erpowering  sublimity.  The  emo- 
tion is  too  deep  to  allow  of  a  free  and  varied  in- 
tonation. There  is  not  strictly  one  tone,  but 
really  successive  repetitions  of  the  same  radical 
and  concrete  pitch. 

The  following  from  the  book  of  Job  is  an 
example. 


70  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

In  thotiglits  from  the  visions  of  the  night,  when  deep 
Bleep  falleth  on  men, 

Fear  came  upon  me,  and  trembling,  which  made  all 
my  bones  to  shake. 

Then  a  spirit  passed  before  my  face  ;  the  hair  of  my 
flesh  stood  up : 

It  stood  still,  but  I  could  not  discern  the  form  there 
of :  an  image  was  before  mine  eyes. 

3.  Key  in  music,  or  in  speech,  designates 
succession  of  tones. 

The  Key  note  is  the  first  sound  of  the  suc- 
cession, and  the  last,  as  well.  Cadence  secures 
a  close,  by  resting  the  last  sound  in  the  key 
note,  without  which  the  melody  would  appear 
unfinished. 

The  radical  pitch  is  that  in  which  an  utter- 
ance begins,  in  comparison  with  the  pitch  which 
marks  the  end.  The  Greeks  had  three  intervals 
between  four  degrees,  or  Tetrachord.  Two  such 
make  our  octave.  Intonation  is  the  act  of  sound- 
ing the  notes  of  a  melody,  pr  the  recognition  of 
intervals.  Modulation  or  change  of  key,  is  the 
variation  of  the  tones  in  ascending  and  descend- 
ing progression.  It  includes  these  four  essen- 
tials, the  quality  of  voice  used,  its  pitch,  powei 
and  rate.  By  some  elocutionists,  these  are  con- 
sidered under  the  general  term  Expression". 

Quality  of  tone  has  been  considered  in  Chap- 
ter IIL  Enough  has  been  said  of  pitch.  A  few 
examples  may  be  given  for  nractice  in  power 
anl  rate. 


PITCH   AND   MELODY.  71 

Gentle  force. 

Heard  ye  the  whisper  of  the  breeze. 

As  softly  it  murmured  by, 
Amid  the  shadowy  forest  trees? 

It  tells  with  moaning  sigh, 
Of  the  bowers  of  bliss  on  that  viewless  shore. 
Where  the  weary  spirit  shall  sin  no  more. 

Moderate  Force. 

rJome  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest. 

Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me  ;  for  I  am 
meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto 
your  souls. 

For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  Is  light. 

Loud  Force. 

And  I  beheld,  and  heard  an  angel  flying  through  the 
midst  of  heaven,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Woe,  woe, 
woe,  to  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth,  by  reason  of  the  oth- 
er voices  of  the  trumpet  of  the  three  angels,  which  are 
jet  to  sound ! 

**  Forward  the  Light  Brigade  !  charge  for  the  gunii  ♦ " 
he  said. 

Slow  Moyement. 

The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day  , 
The  lowing  herd  wind^  slowly  o*er  the  lea ; 

The  plowman  homeward  plods  his  weary  way, 
And  leaveb  the  world  to  darkness  and  to  me 

Moderate  Kate. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me :  because  the 
LOBD  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the 


72  VOCAL  OULTUBB, 

meek  :  he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the 
prison  to  them  that  are  bound  ; 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
day  of  vengeance  of  our  God;  to  comfort  all  that  mourn  ; 

To  appoint  unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  un- 
to them  beauty  for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the 
garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness  ;  that  they 
might  be  called  Trees  of  Righteousness,  The  Planting  oi 
the  Lord,  that  he  might  be  glorified. 

Quick  movement. 

Away  I  away  to  the  rocky  glen 

Where  the  deer  are  wildly  bounding ! 

And  the  hills  shall  echo  in  gladness  again 
To  the  hunter's  bugle  sounding. 

Each  of  these  features  of  rate  and  of  powei 
of  utterance  can  be  made  more  or  less  pronounced 
as  good  taste  may  suggest.  The  thought  of  a 
writer  must  be  carefully  studied  before  the  reader 
can  successfully  interpret  it  through  vocal  signa. 


CHAPTER    VIL 

Person  ATiOK. 

pERSOi^ATiOK  is  picturing  persons  or  things 
'*  lie  is  the  best  orator  who  can  turn  men's  ears 
into  eyes,"  says  the  Arabian  proverb.  The 
voice,  skillfully  managed,  even  without  a  ges- 
ture, can  represent  scenes  and  ideas  with  won- 
derful vividness.  The  secret  of  success  is  the 
culture  of  the  imagination.  The  speaker  must 
have  a  picture  in  his  own  mind  before  he  can 
influence  others.  ^^  If  I  find  a  student  destitute 
of  imagination,  I  give  him  up,  as  a  hopeless 
case,"  said  one  of  the  oldest  teachers  of  Elocu- 
tion in  the  country.  But  few,  however,  are 
wholly  destitute  of  this  faculty.  By  careful 
observation  of  the  world  about  us  and  by  reading 
and  repeating  aloud  the  scenic  descriptions  made 
by  the  best  word  painters  we  may  develop  the 
sense  of  the  beautiful  or  sublime  within  us,  and 
so  be  able  to  furnish  others  with  the  mental 
images  that  we  have  formed.  Henry  Bascom, 
when  asked  the  source  of  his  success  in  preach- 
ing, said  that  it  was  by  painting  everything  viv- 
idly in  his  own  mind  and  then  speaking  of  it  as 
he  saw  it  before  him.     The  imagery  of  the  Bible 


74  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

illumined  tlie  mind  of  Milton  in  preparing  what 
is  justly  regarded  the  most  sublime  poem,  of  its 
class,  in  the  language  of  man.  A  patient  exam- 
ination of  the  poetic  portions  of  Scripture  will 
exert  a  direct  and  powerful  influence  in  the 
culture  of  the  imagination. 

The  following  will  serve  as  an  example  for 
practice.  Emotions  of  awe,  humility  and  fear 
are  to  be  represented  by  low,  solemn  tones,  ap- 
propriate pauses  and  varied  inflections,  in  accord- 
ance with  previous  rules. 

In  the  year  that  king  Uzziah  died,  I  saw  also  the  Lord 
sitting  upon  a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up,  and  his  train 
filled  the  temple. 

Above  it  stood  the  seraphim :  each  one  had  six  wings  » 
with  twain  he  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  cov- 
ered his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly. 

And  one  cried  unto  another,  and  said,  Holy,  holy,  hol> 
is  the  Lord  of  hosts  ;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory. 

And  the  posts  of  the  door  moved  at  the  voice  of  him 
that  cried,  and  the  house  was  filled  with  smoke. 

Then  said  I,  Woe  is  me !  for  I  am  undone  ;  because  1 
am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a 
people  of  unclean  lips :  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King, 
the  Lord  of  hosts. 

The  "  May  Queen  "  is  a  picture  of  overflow- 
ing girlish  glee.  The  pitch  is  high,  the  move- 
ment rapid,  and  the  tone  a  musical  and  joyous  one. 

You  must  wake  and  call  me  early,  call  me  early,  mother 

dear ; 
To-morrow'll  be  the  happiest  time  of  all  the  glad  New 

Year 


PERSOKATIOK.  75 

Of  all  the  glad  New  Year,  mother,  the  maddest,  merriest 

day; 
Fop  Vm  to  be  Queen  o'  the  Majl   mother,  I'm  to  be 

Queen  o'  the  May  I 

Here  is  a  showman's  comic  speech,  to  be 
rendered  in  a  style  of  mingled  drollery  and  dig- 
nity. The  voice  is  to  be  flexible,  and  the  slides 
and  inflections  managed  with  delicacy  and  pre- 
cision. 

Gentlemen  and  ladies,  here  you  have  a  magnificent 
painting  of  Daniel  In  the  lion's  den.  Daniel  can  be 
easily  distinguished  from  the  lions  by  the  green  cotton 
umbrella  under  his  arm. 

A  serious,  earnest  and  indignant  outburst  of 
oratory,  is  seen  in  this  extract  from  Patrick 
Henry. 

The  man  must  be  personated  who  gave  the 
first  impulse  to  the  ball  of  the  Eevolution  ;  he 
who  stood  before  the  Virginia  House  of  Bur- 
gesses, in  1775,  and  declaimed  against  the 
Stamp  Act ;  he  who  was  menaced  by  the  Tory 
cry  of  **  Treason,*'  and  yet  who  quailed  not  for 
an  instant. 

The  whole  scene  must  be  reproduced  in  im- 
agination. 

Caesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  the  First  his  Cromwell, 
and  George  the  Third  —  "  Treason  "  cried  the  speaker, 
'•  Treason  I  Treason  1  Treason  1 "  re-echoed  from  every 
part  of  the  house.  It  was  not  in  their  power,  however, 
to  friirhten  him,  but  fixing  his  eye  on  the  speaker,  ha 


76  YOCAL  CULTURE. 

finished  witli  eyes  flashing  scorn — "  may  profit  by  these 
examples  I    If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it." 

Collins'  Ode  to  the  Passions  is  another  selec- 
tion which  will  bring  the  imagination  into  play, 
and  call  out  one's  powers  of  delineation. 

The  study  of  facial  expression  is  an  essential 
part  of  dramatic  personation,  but  this  rather  lies 
in  the  department  of  Gesture,  which  is  next  to  be 
considered.  The  pictorial  features  of  words, 
noticed  in  Chapter  IV,  will  also  greatly  contrib- 
ute to  this  form  of  vocal  embellishment,  the 
value  of  which  is  so  well  known  by  every  intelli- 
gent speaker. 


CHAPTER    VIIL 

Gbstuke. 

1.  Gesture  is  a  universal  sign  language. 
The  position  and  movements  of  the  body,  even 
without  a  spoken  word,  reveal  thought  and  pur- 
pose. Men  of  all  nationalities,  and  even  brutes, 
understand  the  expression  of  the  countenance, 
and  many  of  the  gestures  of  the  hand.  Here 
is  one  of  the  elements  of  the  histrionic  art,  as 
distinguished  from  other  fine  arts.  While 
music  addresses  the  ear,  and  painting,  sculpture 
and  architecture  the  eye  alone,  oratory  commands 
both  the  faculties  of  seeing  and  of  hearing.  *^  As 
the  concurrent  testimony  of  two  witnesses,  has 
not  merely  double,  but  many  times  greater  force 
than  that  of  one,  so  when  a  sentiment  is  ad- 
dressed to  both  of  these  senses  at  the  same  time, 
it  produces  immeasurably  greater  effects  upon 
the  soul,  than  when  it  depends  on  either  of  them 
alone." 

The  number  and  variety  of  signs  are  almost 
infinite.  Hence  the  power  of  pantomime,  as 
practiced  by  the  ancients,  or  the  sign  language 
of  mutes  in  our  day.  '^  Acts  speak  louder  than 
words,"  in  an  artistic,  as  well  as  in  a  moral  sense. 


78  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

A  barbarian  prince,  witnessing  a  Eoman  pan 
toniime,  requested  the  Emperor  to  permit  him 
to  take  home  the  leading  actor,  to  use  as  a  silent 
interpreter  to  the  visitors  whom  he  received,  but 
could  not  converse  with.  "  Without  the  hand 
there's  no  eloquence,"  says  Cressolius.  The 
Egyptian  symbol  of  language  is  a  tongue  placed 
under  a  hand.  The  latter  is,  indeed,  a  formid- 
able rival  of  the  voice,  for,  as  light  travels  faster 
than  sound,  so  gesture  and  facial  expression  tel- 
egraph impressions  to  the  mind  before  the  voice 
of  i  he  speaker  can  complete  a  sentence.  Both 
are  needed  if  we  would,  like  the  son  of  Hermes 

"  With  siren  tongue  and  speaking  eyes, 
Husli  the  noise  and  soothe  to  peace." 

2.  "We  must  distinguish  between  Rhetorical 
and  Colloquial  gesture.  The  former  is  appro- 
priate to  sacred  and  forensic  oratory,  the  plat^ 
form,  the  bar  and  pulpit.  The  latter  accompanies 
conversation  and  all  familiar  discourse.  The 
elbow  rather  than  the  shoulder  is  the  centre  of 
motion.  The  action  is  simple,  graceful,  re- 
strained and  quiet,  while  the  movements  suitable 
for  the  orator  before  a  large  audience,  and 
engaged  with  some  inspiring  theme,  are  bold, 
energetic  and  more  varied.  Addison  says,  **Our 
preachers  stand  stock  still  in  the  pulpit,  and  will 
not  so  much  as  move  a  finger  to  set  off  the  best 
sermons  in  the  world.  We  meet  with  the  same 
ipeaking  statues  at  our  bars,  and  in  all  publio 


GESTURE.  79 

places  of  debate.  We  talk  of  life  and  death  in 
cold  blood,  and  keep  our  temper  in  a  discourse 
which  turns  upon  everything  that  is  dear  to  us." 
Dean  Swift  called  churches  ^*  public  dormitories," 
and  Sydney  Smith  refers  to  the  tame  and  lan- 
guid air  of  his  associates,  and  says  that  "the  word 
sermon  has  come  to  describe  a  piece  of  writing  in 
which  there  is  an  absence  of  everything  agreeable 
and  inviting.  He  asks  why  preachers  should  be 
*^  holy  lumps  of  ice,"  and  if  ^*  sin  is  to  be  taken 
from  man  as  Eve  was  from  Adam,  by  casting 
them  into  a  deep  sleep  ?  why  call  in  the  aid  of 
paralysis  to  piety  ?  Is  it  a  rule  of  oratory  to 
handle  the  sublimest  truths  in  the  driest  mari- 
ner?" 

Paul  never  would  have  been  thought  '^  mad," 
nor  Peter  ''  drunken,"  if  they  had  been  thus 
frigid  in  their  apostolic  discourses.  Happily, 
there  is  an  improvement  seen  since  the  satires  of 
Smith  were  penned,  yet  by  no  means  as  general 
fts  it  should  be.  Those  whose  office  is  to  '^per- 
suade men,"  cannot  ignore  any  ally  to  conviction, 
nor  neglect  any  instrumental  art  like  gesture, 
because  in  some  cases  it  has  degenerated  into 
jiTtifice. 

3.  There  are  general  cautions  here  to  be  no- 
ted. Beware  of  too  many  gestures,  which,  like 
too  much  emphasis  in  reading,  cheapens  and 
weakens,  by  very  satiety,  and  lack  of  discrimina- 
tion. Beware  of  puny  and  irresolute  action. 
This  fault  is  common  with  beginners.     Thera 


80  TOCAL  CULTURE. 

are  instinctive  motions  of  the  hands,  but  the8« 
ai'e  only  aimless  gyrations  about  the  hip  joint, 
or  awkward  pump-handle  movements  up  and 
down,  with  the  elbow  at  the  side.  The  natural, 
physical  expression  of  emotion  is  hard  to  re- 
press, but  these  nervous  and  irresolute  move- 
ments, guided  by  no  intelligence,  awaken  only 
pity,  or  disgust. 

Avoid  the  extreme  of  extravagance  in  gesture. 
Quintilian  said  of  those  of  his  day,  eighteen  cen- 
turies ago,  "they  saw  the  air,  they  use  their 
hands  as  if  they  had  claws,  pawing  with  them, 
and  others  thrust  out  the  arm,  expanding  the 
hand  and  inverting  the  thumb,  and  call  this 
speaking  in  a  commanding  gesture,  wliile  another 
blows  and  wipes  his  nose  without  necessity." 
There  might  be  added  the  vulgar  habit  of  slap- 
ping the  pulpit  Bible,  or  pounding  the  pulpit 
cushion.  We  remember  the  command  to  an  old 
prophet,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  smite  with 
thine  hand,  and  stamp  with  thy  foot,  and  say, 
alas,  for  all  the  evil  abominations  of  the  house  of 
Israel ! "  but,  we  see  no  parallel  in  the  two  cases. 
Quietness  often  impresses  more  than  extravagant 
action.  ^^  The  tap  of  Caesar's  finger  was  enough 
to  awe  a  senate." 

Monotony  is  another  fault.  Prof.  Porter 
tells  of  one  preacher  who  had  but  three  gestures, 
first,  with  the  right  hand,  then  the  left,  and  then 
with  both.  Keybaz,  as  quoted  by  the  same, 
affirms  that  "a  dull  uniformity  of  action,  is  the 


GESTURE.  81 

jommoB  defect  of  preachers."  Doubiless  the 
reading  of  sermons  and  the  interposition  of  a 
desk  between  a  speaker  and  his  audience,  go  far 
to  explain  the  mechanical  style  referred  to. 

Inappropriateness  in  gesticulation  often  neu- 
tralizes the  whole  effect  of  the  utterance  which 
it  accompanies.  The  writer  recalls  this  example 
of  incongruous  gesture  in  a  speaker,  who  was 
discussing  the  divine  mercy.  With  upraised 
hand  and  fist  shaken  at  the  heads  of  his  hearers, 
he  quoted  the  verse  beginning,  "  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son," 
etc.,  not  realizing  the  ludicrous  contrast  between 
the  sentiment  and  the  gesture. 

Others  are  betrayed  into  error  by  following 
the  words  without  reference  to  their  significance. 
The  word  all  may  refer  to  geographical  extent, 
as  a  promise  of  "  great  joy  which  shall  be  to  all 
people,"  or  it  may  refer  merely  to  numerical 
ideas,  as  ''^  all  the  days  of  Methuselah  were  960 
years."  The  outspread  hands  may  represent  the 
former,  but  nothing  is  needed  to  emphasize  the 
latter  statement.  In  quoting  Hamlet's  contemp 
of  a  fawning  sycophant 

Let  the  candied  tongue  lick  absurd  pomp. 
And  crook  the  pregnant  hinges  of  the  knee. 
When  thrift  may  follow  fawning  .  .  . 
Give  me  the  man  that  is  not  passion's  slave ; 

a  blundering  actor  once  knelt  and  kissed  the 
hand,  the  very  thing  his  lips  pronounced  disgust- 

4 


82  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

fuL  All  erect  posture  and  a  scornful  mien, 
properly  accompanies  the  utterance.  A  felici- 
tous gesture,  even  without  a  word,  has  marvelous 
pjwer.  Says  a  Greek  admirer  of  Caesar,  ^^his 
right  hand  was  mighty  to  command,  and  by  its 
majestic  power  did  quell  the  fierce  audacity  of 
savage  men."  The  Roman  who  pleaded  for  his 
brother's  life  by  lifting  the  stump  of  his  own 
arm,  lost  in  the  country's  service,  did  more  than 
verbal  eloquence  could  do.  We  are  told  that  all 
the  influence  of  the  Roman  Tribunes  could  not 
persuade  the  people  to  pass  a  vote  of  condemna- 
tion against  Manlius,  while  he  stood  and  silently 
stretched  out  his  hand  toward  the  capitol,  which 
hv  his  valor  had  been  saved. 

POSITION. 

The  directions  already  given  for  Stmidingy 
(Chapter  11.)  need  not  be  here  repeated. 

The  work  of  Rev.  Gilbert  Austin,  an  emi- 
nent elocutionist  of  London,  in  1806,  is  the 
leading  authority  in  this  department.  lie  re- 
marks, in  general,  that  the  speaker  should  pre- 
sent himself  cequo  pedore,  with  his  breast  fully 
fronting  the  audience,  "never  'n  the  fencing 
attitude,  with  one  side  exposed.  The  manly  in- 
clination of  the  sides  should  also  be  attended  to, 
for,  without  this  position,  the  body  will  seem 
awkward  and  ill-balanced,  the  inclination  of  the 
sides  withdraws- the  upper  part  of  the  body  from 


GSSTUBE.  83 

khe  direction  of  the  sustaining  limb,  and  incimeB 
it  the  other  way,  while  it  throws  the  lowei  part 
of  the  body  strongly  on  the  line  of  the  supporting 
foot."  The  trunk  slightly  moves  with  the  mo- 
tions of  the  arms.  Yet,  avoiding  the  stiffness  of 
a  log,  one  must  not  allow  contortions  of  the 
body,  but  make  such  movements  as  will  naturally 
embellish  and  emphasize  speech.  The  carriage 
of  the  person,  including  the  expressioc  of  his 
face,  should  indicate  self-possession  and  dignity, 
and  be  equally  removed  from  timidity  on  the  one 
hand  and  impudence  on  the  other. 

Changes  of  position,  according  to  Prof.  Rus- 
sell, should  only  be  made  during  the  act  of  speak- 
ing and  not  at  the  pauses,  except  the  retiring 
movement  at  the  close  of  a  division  of  the  subject. 
Thus  the  voice  and  body  are  kept  in  simultane- 
ous action  with  the  mind,y  and  all  become  parts 
of  the  whole  delivery.       / 

The  Feet,  with  the  toes  turned  outward, 
should  form  half  a  right  angle,  the  heel  of  the 
right  foot  being  about  throe  inches  from  the  in- 
step of  the  left.  When  moved,  there  should  be 
no  shuffling,  but  deliberation,  quietness  and 
precision  should  mark  every  change. 

Firs*  Position,  Advance  the  right  foot  and 
let  the  left  support  the  weight  of  the  body. 

Second  Position.  Throw  the  weight  of  the 
body  on  the  right  foot  advanced,  and  let  the  left 
foot  with  its  heel  slightly  raise  i,  balance  the 
position. 


84  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

The  two  attitudes  represent  the  speaker  at 

ease,  as  Zachos  terms  it,  the  centre  of  gravity 

falling  within  the  foot  on  which  you  rest,  so  that 

you  can   gracefully  move  to  another  posture, 

whereas  if  both  feet  equally  support  the  body, 

I  the  transfer  of  the  centre  of  gravity  from  one 

I  foot,  in  order  to  free  the  other  for  motion,  gives 

J  a  rocking  motion  to  the  whole  body. 

I       The  two  corresponding  .actions  of   the  left 

^  foot  also  represent  what  we  call  the  ^'  Posture 

OF  Ease."    Either  of  the  four  attitudes  may  be 

optional. 

Third  Position.  Advance  the  right  foot 
from  the  first  position  one  stej)  in  the  direction 
in  which  it  was  pointing  and  balance  on  the  left 
foot,  the  heel  of  which  is  slightly  raised. 

Fourth  Position,  Eemove  the  right  foot  to 
the  rear  of  its  first  position  and  put  it  at  right 
angles  with  the  left,  the  heel  of  the  left  being 
raised.  The  weight,  of  course,  still  rests  on  the 
right  foot. 

Nos.  3  and  4  also  may  be  taken  with  the  left 
foot,  mutatis  muta7idis,  and  so  four  forms  are 
had  of  the  "  Posture  of  Appeal,"  or  self-reli- 
ance. This  term  is  merely  assumed  for  the  sak€ 
of  convenience  to  distinguish  from  that  of  Ease 
vhich  is  not  as  bold  an  attitude. 

The  Hands  have  five  primary  movements. 

1.  Supine,  that  is,  open  with  the  palm  upward, 

2.  Prone,  or  inverted,  the  palm  down- 
ward.    The  thumb  in  both  cases  is  a  little  sep^ 


6E8TUKB. 


88 


fated  from  the  fingers,  which  are  kept  together, 
but  not  rigidly  flat. 

3.  Pointing.  The  index  finger  stretched  and 
the  others  curved,  but  not  shut  tight. 

4.  Clinched  or  Fist,  with  the  knuckles  of  tha 
thumb  uppermost. 

5.  Vertical. 

The  Arms  take  seven  general    directions, 


QESTUBB. 


front,  oblique,  lateral  and  backward  »  descend 
ing,  horizontal  and  upward. 

Of  these,  the  cut  above  lepresenli  combina- 
tions, as  arranged  by  Prof.  A.  M.  Bacon,  in  his 
admirable  "  Manual  of  Gesture,''  from  which  the 
illustration  is  taken. 


86  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

The  vertical  lines  1, 1,  are  front y  2,  2,  oblique, 
3,  3,  lateral,  4,  4,  backward  oblique. 

The  circle  5  marks  descending  gestures,  the 
circle  6,  horizontal,  and  7  ascending. 

Descending  front,  d.  f. 
"  oblique,  d.  o. 

"  lateral,  d.  1. 

*'  backward,  d.  b. 

Horizontal  front,  h,  f. 
**  oblique,  h.  o. 

"  lateral,  h.  1. 

*'  backward,  h.  b. 

Ascending  front,  a.  1. 
^^  oblique,  a.  o. 

"  lateral,  a.  1. 

*'  backward,  a.  b. 

These  twelve  gpstures,  first  with  one  supine 
hand,  then  with  the  other,  and  then  with  both 
hands  supine,  and  then  with  similar  chauges  ol 
the  prone  and  vertical  hands,  make  a  system  of 
108  gestures.  As  Prof.  B.  observes,  ^*  These, 
executed  in  various  ways,  in  straight  lines  and 
curves,  through  large  and  small  space,  with  quick 
and  slow  movement,  and  accompanied  with  end- 
less variety  of  changes  in  attitude  and  facial  ex- 
pression, together  with  the  movements  denomi- 
nated special  gestures,  furnish  a  vocabulary  of 


GESTURE.  SI 

gdstuTe,  commensurafce  with  the  realm  of  thought 
and  feeling.  The  descending  gestures  belong  to 
the  sphere  of  the  Will,  and  therefore  predomi- 
nate in  strong  resolve,  the  horizontal  more  espe- 
cially to  the  Intellect,  and  are  employed  in  gen- 
eral thought.  The  ascending  gestures  belong  to 
the  Imagination^^  The  gestures  in  front  are 
personal,  direct  and  emphatic,  but  usually  grow 
less  so,  as  they  are  removed  to  the  rear,  indica- 
ting remoteness  in  thought,  time  or  place. 
Keep  in  mind  the  distinction  made  between 
Colloquial  and  Khetorical  gestures,  already 
noticed.  In  his  lectures.  Professor  Sprague 
divides  all  gestures  into  three  kinds,  those  of 
place,  of  imitation,  and  of  force  or  emphasis. 
There  are  some  gestures  which  might  be  called 
conventional,  and  which,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  are  given  the  same  significance  by  all  of 
the  civilized  world,  such  as  a  nod  for  Yes,  a  shake 
of  the  head  for  No,  but  these  are  really  gestures 
of  place.  Gesture  is  an  outward  bodily  expres- 
sion of  inward  feeling.  The  head  and  hand,  and 
perhaps  the  whole  body,  turns  unconsciously 
to  the  place  the  mind  already  has  decided  the 
object  thought  of  should  occupy.  The  first  step 
is  conception  in  the  mind,  the  next  the  move- 
ment of  the  eye  toward  that  place,  then  of  the 
face,  then  the  hand,  next  the  finger  points  it  out, 
and  last  of  all  comes  the  expression  by  words. 
This  is  the  natural  sequence  of  gestures  of  place. 
He  also  properly  connocta  the  extent  of  a  gesture 


88  VOCAL  CULTUEB. 

with  the  character  of  the  things  described.  The 
greater  their  moral  or  physical  grandeur,  the 
more  extended  is  the  gesture.  For  noble  things 
the  upward  or  sweeping  gesture  of  the  hand  is 
ased  ;  for  vile  or  base  things  the  downward. 
In  order,  however,  to  describe  things  by  ges- 
ture correctly,  they  must  first  be  located  in  the 
mind. 

Here  again  is  seen  the  power  of  an  imagina- 
tive, sympathetic  mind.  Prof.  S.  recalls  Mr. 
Beecher's  description  of  a  man  going  about 
searching  for  something  in  a  dark  room  with  a 
lighted  candle  in  his  hand.  He  so  identified 
himself  with  his  subject  that  he  groped  about 
the  stage,  as  if  he  were  really  the  man,  and  at 
the  end  of  his  remarks  involuntarily  wiped  ima- 
ginary candle-grease  dripping  from  his  fingers, 
with  his  handkerchief.  Gestures  of  place  define 
the  value  of  an  object ;  those  of  limitation  the 
how,  and  those  of  emphasis  the  how  much.  In 
gestures  of  emphasis  the  greater  the  earnestness 
the  louder  the  voice,  or  greater  the  bodily  mo- 
tions. Different  speakers  emphasize  by  different 
motions.  Some  do  so  by  an  impressive  nod  of 
the  head,  and  he  who  can  combine  such  a  nod 
with  the  proper  expression  of  the  eye  has  achieved 
a  great  success. 

These  details  of  gesture  can  be  followed  out  to 
almost  any  extent.  Bacon's  Manual  gives  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pages  of  directions,  and  Austin's 
Chironomia  is  a  quarto  of  six  hundred  pages. 


GESTURE.  89 

Then  there  is  the  whole  Qcld  of  dramatic  ges- 
ture, which  diilersfrom  oratorical,  as  the  theatre 
differs  from  the  pulpit  or  forum.  This  manual 
does  not  enter  it  further  than  to  note  a  few  Dra- 
matic Postures, 

1.  Eapture.  The  hands  are  clasped  and 
held  just  below  the  throat  a  little  distance  from 
the  person.  The  face  is  raised,  and  countenance 
is  made  expressive  of  the  emotion  symbolized. 

2.  Remorse.  The  face  is  bowed  and  the 
olasi^ed  hands  pressed  to  the  chest.  The  feet  in 
both  these  postures  can  take  either  of  four  rela- 
tions already  noted. 

3.  Dread.  The  feet  are  placed  in  the  4th 
position,  the  body  slightly  crouching,  and  both 
hands  held  vertical,  one  near  the  face  and  the 
other  extended.  If  the  left  foot  supports  the 
chief  weight,  the  right  hand  is  advanced,  and 
vice  versa.     The  face  looks  at  the  object. 

4.  Disgust.  The  posture  is  similar  to  No.  3, 
only  the  face  is  averted  and  the  body  is  drawn 
backward.  The  hands  and  feet  are  kept  as  be 
fore. 

5.  Appeal.  Erect  posture  and  open  hand 
laid  on  the  heart.  Do  not  mistake  its  location 
and  make  an  appeal  to  the  stomach,  as  some 
persons  do,  when  they  say,  "  My  heart  is  with 
you  ! " 

6.  Soliloquy.  Folded  arms,  or  either  fore- 
finger on  the  temple.  Feet  inposition  No.  1  or 
slowly  vralking,  as  if  in  self-communing. 


90  vocal  culture. 

Special  Gestures. 

1.  Folded  Hands,  when  the  right  hand  ia 
laid  between  the  forefinger  and  thumb  of  the 
left  hand  and  the  fingers  of  each  hand  lie  on  the 
back  of  the  other. 

2.  Clasped  Hands,  when  the  fingers  of  one 
hand  are  inserted  between  those  of  the  other  and 
pressed  down. 

3.  Joined  Hands,  uplifted,  applied  flat,  palm 
to  palm  and  finger  to  finger.  The  sides  of  the 
thumbs  touch  each  other,  but  do  not  touch  the 
forefingers.     This  is  a  devotional  gesture. 

4.  Crossed  Hands,  when  the  left  is  laid  on 
the  breast,  and  the  right  is  placed  crosswise  on 
the  left. 

5.  Hands  Noting,  numerical  or  logical  se- 
quence, with  one  or  all  the  fingers  of  the  right 
gently  striking  the  open  left  hand. 

6.  Hands  Beckoning,  Either  the  left  or 
right  hand  is  used  according  to  the  direction 
from  which  the  person  is  called.  The  palm  ia 
held  inward  and  one  or  all  the  fingers  flexed. 

7.  The  Wave,  when  the  open  hand  is  thrown  . 
in  a  vertical  direction,  ending  with  a  slight  back- 
ward motion. 

8.  Tlie  Flourish,  Zachos  defines  as  a  simple 
circular  motion  of  the  hand  above  the  head. 

9.  The  Sweep,  The  right  hand,  vertical,  is 
moved  from  before  the  left  shoulder,  toward  the 
right  and    backward,   en'iing    with    the    hand 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 

JRB.  91 

anpine.  Or,  beginning  with  the  hand  supine, 
the  sweep  may  end  with  the  hand  vertical.  Bj 
returning  the  arm  through  the  same  arch,  the 
sweep  is  doubled. 

10.  The  Shake,  a  tremulous  motion  of  the 
hand,  is  to  be  rarely  used. 

11.  Rejection.  Both  the  hands  vertical,  are 
energetically  pushed  backward  and  downward. 

12.  Repression.  Both  hands  are  extended  and 
prone.     Motion  at  the  wrist. 

THE  POWEE  OF  THE  PANTOMIME. 

The  Oriental  understands  it.  ^^  He  winketh 
with  his  eyes,  he  speaketh  with  his  feet,  he 
teacheth  with  his  fingers."  Seated  on  the 
ground,  with  the  hands  resting  on  knees  or  feet ; 
sometimes  with  covered  fingers,  and  often  with 
the  touch  of  the  toe,  even,  he  silently  communi- 
cates with  his  fellow.  Miles,  in  his  **  Pictorial 
writing  in  the  Bible,"  says  that  to  avert  an  evil 
eye,  the  Oriental  pointed  at  the  evil  person  with 
the  little  finger  and  forefinger,  the  middle  fin- 
gers being  closed.  They  do  so  in  Rome  to-day, 
and  have  for  two  thousand  years,  as  shown  by 
the  walls  of  the  houses  at  Pompeii.  The  gest?c- 
alation  of  Da  Vinci's  "  Last  Supper "  is  note- 
worthy. Canova  once  held  a  silent  interview 
with  a  Neapolitan,  by  eye  and  hand  alone. 
Venus  riding  the  panther,  is  a  pictorial  version 
of  the  subiection  of  Power  to  Beauty,     De  Vere 


9%  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

tells  of  a  Greek  warrior,  enamored  of  an  Athe- 
nian lady,  who  silently  told  his  love  \j  draving 
his  sword,  which  had  cut  off  the  heads  of  thjty- 
five  Turks,  and  laying  it  at  her  feet. 

We  are  poorer  in  the  mimetic  art,  because  ^e 
are  less  vivacious,  and  use  pen  and  type  so  much, 
as  Miles  suggests.  The  Hebrew  and  Greek 
scriptures,  he  truly  says,  are  a  photograph  from 
life,  but  ours  are  faded  and  worn,  being  a  copied 
pliotograph. 

Jewish  speech  and  gesticulation  are  borrowed 
from  the  Egyptian  forms.  "Lay  thy  hand 
upon  thy  mouth,  and  go  with  us,"  said  the  spies. 
Judges,  xviii,  19.  The  hieroglyph  is  the  same. 
The  spreading  hands  lifted  in  prayer,  the  bend- 
ing knees,  and  the  folded  wings,  indicative  of 
divine  protection,  are  also  found  in  the  same 
ancient  archives.  "  Pictures  m  the  air  "  are  the 
alphabets  of  the  dumb.  They  have  five  hun- 
dred significant  movements.  Time  present  is 
shown  by  the  prone  palm  near  the  body,  the 
future  by  a  push  forward,  and  the  past  by  a  back- 
ward movement.  The  idea  of  size,  by  the  rising 
and  falling  hand,  emotions  by  the  eye,  the  lip  or 
fihrugged  shoulder.  Among  the  early  Indians, 
it  is  said,  one  could  travel  from  Hudson's  Bay 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  by  the  help  of  the  panto- 
mime. Only  six  of  the  150  signs  are  not  evi- 
dent. Water  was  represented  by  a  scooping  ges- 
ture carried  to  the  mouth  ;  a  dog  by  two  fore- 
fingers trailed,  as  it  drew  a  sled,  and  a  stag  w^k 


GESTURE.  9^ 

thumbs  and  forefinger,  at  the  teini)le,  bent  out 
like  horns.  Truth  was  pictured  by  the  straight- 
forward finger  moved  from  the  lips,  and  a  lie  by 
a  sidelong  motion  of  two  fingers,  indicative  of  a 
double  tongue.  The  countenance,  of  course, 
aided  gesture.  One  writer  speaks  of  a  narrative 
of  a  shipwreck,  which  was  told  him  in  panto- 
mime by  a  mute,  so  that  an  intelligent  idea  of 
the  facts  was  gained  by  the  silent  story. 

It  was  in  the  age  of  Augustus,  that  the 
Roman  pantomime  was  brought  to  greatest  per- 
fection. By  the  "  talking  hand,"  loquaci  manu, 
aided  by  music  and  dancing,  audiences  were  held 
entranced  by  the  hour.  But  the  introduction  of 
lewd  women,  sometimes  nude,  brought  the  bal- 
let into  bad  repute.  The  term  pantomime  now 
is  applied  to  dumb  shows  without  the  dance.  Its 
study  is  directly  related  to  that  of  gesture. 

THE  RHETORIC  OF  GESTURE. 

So  closely  connected  are  composition  and  de- 
livery that  the  style  of  Rhetoric,  Prof.  Bacon 
observes,  must  govern  the  gesture.  ^^Impera- 
tive and  vivid  styles  demand  frequent  and  forci- 
ble action  and  vice  versa.  Gestures  should  be 
connected  and  harmonious.  Appropriate  and 
graceful  action  does  not  consist  in  isolated  move- 
ments. The  hand  must  not  drop  after  each 
emphatic  word.  On  the  contrary,  the  different 
movements  should  sustain  such  ^  relation  to  each 


94  VOCAL  OULTUBB. 

othei  as  to  promote  a  good  effect  on  the  whole. 
Harmony  and  luiity  are  the  essential  elements  ot 
grace.  A  gesture  is  sometimes  modified  by  its 
relation  to  other  gestures,  or  by  the  combined 
effect  of  the  action,  as  in  the  passage  : 

The  Lord  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to 
naught ;  He  maketh  the  devices  of  the  people  of  none 
effect. 

The  first  clause  taken  independently,  and 
with  moderate  emphasis,  would  employ  the  de- 
scending lateral  to  express  nonentity  ;  but  since 
another  clause  of  similar  import  is  added,  the 
oblique  is  appropriated  to  the  first,  in  order  to 
reserve  the  lateral  for  the  second. 

Gesture  is  modified  by  individual  character. 
What  is  becoming  to  one,  may  not  be  so  to  an- 
other. This  remark  applies  to  the  frequency  and 
variety  and  manner  of  execution.  The  orator 
who  keeps  within  the  bounds  of  calm  reasoning, 
will  confine  himself  chiefly  to  the  class  called 
assertive  gestures,  and  will  execute  these  with 
moderation  ;  while  one  who  is  firm  in  his  con- 
victions, and  possesses  great  strength  of  will, 
naturally  lifts  the  hand  higher  and  brings  it 
down  more  forcibly.  One  possessing  a  vivid  im- 
agination will  abound  in  descriptive  gestures. 
Some  physical  organizations  are  more  favorable 
to  rhetorical  action  than  others  ;  pliability  ol 
muscle  and  facility  of  motion  generally  will  en- 
able one  to  do  what  would  be  quite  unbecoming 


OESTUEE.  95 

in  another  to  attempt.  Let  eyery  one  adopt  that 
style  of  action  which  is  best  adapted  to  his  own 
mental  and  physical  organization,  subject  always 
to  the  general  laws  of  expression." 

Advais^taqes  of  Extempore  Speech, 

There  are  obvious  advantages  which  the  au- 
dience reap,  in  being  brought  into  magnetic  sym- 
pathy with  the  orator.  There  are  benefits  which 
he  enjoys  by  the  reflex  influence  which  the  audi- 
ence thus  exert  on  him,  and,  in  the  case  of  the 
preacher,  in  being  in  a  more  responsive  and  ex- 
pectant attitude  before  God,  whose  aid  he  feela 
need  of,  as  the  reader  of  a  manuscript  cannot 
But  as  related  to  the  matter  of  gesture  alone,  tfie 
speaker  has  a  double  freedom,  when  paper 
crutches  are  dropped.  He  has  this  iuspiration 
from  his  audience  who  follow  him,  and  whom  he 
follows,  and  he  has  not  the  barrier  of  wood  which 
a  reading  desk  interposes  between  him  and  them, 
and  which  is  apt  to  lead  to  constrained  forms  of 
gesture. 

But,  in  this  passing  notice  of  a  theme  which 
belongs  to  another  department  of  Ehetorical  cul- 
ture, the  student  mUoC  be  reminded  that  the  pen 
and  the  voice  must  be  in  use  alike,  continually. 
In  other  words  constant  writing  is  necessary  to 
secure  felicitous,  off-hand  speech. 

It  is  said  that  Cicero  acquired  his  rich  vocabu 
Viry  by  translating  Greek  into  Latin. 


96  yOCAL  CULTURE. 

William  Pitt  devoted  much  time,  for  ier 
years,  in  translating  Latin  into  English.  He 
thus  attained  a  wonderful  mastery  over  the  Eng- 
lish language.  Words  were  his  tools  and  woap 
ous,  and  he  wielded  them  with  pc  ver  which  ha^ 
8e»dom  been  surpassed. 

Rufus  Choate  pursued  this  plan  of  transla 
ting  through  his  whole  life,  as  well  as  study  ol 
the  dictionary. 

The  peroration  of  Lord  Brougham's  celebra- 
ted defence  of  Queen  Caroline,  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  eloquent  passages  in  the  Englisli  lan- 
guage.    He  says  : 

"  I  composed  the  peroration  of  my  speech  for 
the  queen,  after  reading  and  repeating  Demos- 
thenes for  three  or  four  weeks.  I  composed  it 
twenty  times  over  at  least."  He  adds  that  '*  even' 
after  the  habit  of  easy  speaking  is  acquired,  one 
3an  never  write  too  much.  It  is  laborious.  But 
it  is  necessary  to  perfect  oratory;  and  at  any 
rate  it  is  necessary  to  acquire  the  habit  of  cor- 
rect diction.  But  I  go  farther  and  say  that  even 
to  the  end  of  man's  life  he  must  prepare,  word 
for  word,  most  of  his  finer  passages." 

One  more  suggestion  is  this,  write  for  the 
ear  as  well  as  for  the  eye.  Composition  has  its 
phonetic  features  as  truly  as  its  logical.  Long 
and  involved  sentences  are  hard  to  speak,  un- 
pleasant to  hear,  and  hard  to  remember.  Avoid 
episodes  and  parentheses.  Do  not  crowd  too 
^iich  into  a  sentence.     Select  short  wordg  rathftf 


tfESTURE  lr« 

than  lon^  ones,  ana  lamiHar  woras  rather  than 
technical  or  outlandish  ones.  A  specific  term  is 
better  than  a  general,  as  a  tulip  or  rose  instead 
jt  a  flower,  a  robin  instead  of  a  bird.  After 
sareful  writing,  extemporize  without  referenc6 
to  the  phrasing  A  the  thought,  and  do  not  em- 
barrass yourself  by  trying  to  remember  the  exaot 
wordfl. 


CHAPTER   DL 

Facial  Expression. 

"  I  do  believe  thee ; 
I  saw  his  heart  in  his  face." — STiakspean 

'•  Come,  let  us  look  one  another  in  the  face." — 

2  Kings,  xiv,  8, 

Physiognomy,  according  to  Lavater,  is  the 
knowledge  of  the  powers  and  inclinations  of  m»n, 
and  teaches  us  his  character  at  rest,  while  Path- 
ognomy  is  a  knowledge  of  the  signs  of  the  pas- 
sions, or  character  in  action.  While  few  under- 
stand the  former,  all  are  able  to  comprehend  the 
latt^^r  ;  hence  the  need  of  attention  to  the  coun- 
tenance, in  our  study  of  oratory.  Sir  Charles 
Bell,  in  1806,  published  the  first  edition,  and  in 
1844,  his  third  edition,  of  his  ^'Anatomy  and 
Philosophy  of  Expression,"  in  which  he  shows, 
among  other  notable  facts,  the  intimate  relation 
between  the  movements  of  respiration,  and  of 
facial  expression.  For  example,  he  shows  tliat 
the  muscles  around  the  eye  contract  during  expi- 
ratory exertion,  to  protect  these  delicate  organs 
from  engorgement  of  blood  and  rupture.     So, 


FACIAL   EXPKESSIOX. 


1^9 


lOO,  in  tlie  violent  screaming  of  children,  nature 
firmly  closes  the  eyelids. 

Destructive  passions  cause  a  general  tension 
of  the  muscular  system,  and  depression  of  vital 
force,  while  pleasure,  as  in  laughter,  creates  an 
overflow  of  nerve-force,  and  is  associated  with 
bodily  action.  The  chin  and  forehead  of  the 
Eoman  are  in  the  perpendicular  facial  line. 
Both  of  them,  in  the  case  of  the  beggar,  retreat 
from  that  line  indicating  a  lower  grade  of  in- 
tellect. 


■▲Rons    AQRIFFA    AND   A   ITEORO    BSCKSAB. 

niustratlng  Camper's  facial  angle. 


Darwin  has  given  in  his  '^Expressions  of 
Emotions  in  Man  and  Animals"  the  fruits  of 
thirty  years  of  observation.     He  studied  the  in 


100  yOCAL  CULTURE. 

iane  and  infants,  whose  acts  are  more  sponta- 
neous and  uncontrolled  than  others  ;  the  effects 
of  galvanism  on  facial  muscles  ;  the  passions  of 
lower  animals,  and  also  the  habits  of  savage 
tnbes.     From  all  these  he  deduces  three 

GENERAL  PEINCIPLES. 

1.  That  of  Habit  and  Association.  The  con- 
ducting power  of  nervous  fibres  increases  with 
their  frequent  excitement,  so  that  the  most  diffi- 
cult movements  are  performed  unconsciously. 
Physical  changes  thus  occur  in  nerve  cells,  and 
tendency  to  certain  acts  is  transmitted,  as  is  seen 
in  the  pace  of  a  horse,  the  flight  of  a  bird,  and 
the  inherited  taste  of  a  caterpillar.  He  cites  an  in- 
stance of  a  certain  strange  gesture  of  the  uplifted 
right  hand,  ending  in  a  peculiar  blow,  and  only 
performed  in  sleep.  This  inherited  habit  appears 
in  three  consecutive  generations,  and  was  ac- 
companied with  pleasurable  emotions. 

Cardinal  Wolsey's  ways  are  delineated  in 
Henry  VHI,  Act  3. 

Some  strange  commotion 
Is  in  his  brain  :  he  bites  his  lips  and  starts  ; 
Stops  on  a  sudden,  looks  upon  the  ground, 
Then  lays  his  finger  on  his  temple  :  casts 
flis  eye  against  the  moon  ;  in  most  strange  posturei 
We  have  seen  him  set  himself. 

It  is  the  habit  of  many  people,  who,  trying  to 
r6oall  somethiHfij,  alwavs  look  upward,  as  if  to 


FACIA^   EXPRESSION.  101 

Bee  it.  Another  rubs  his  eyes,  or  hems,  the  re* 
suit  of  habit  and  association. 

2.  Mr.  Darwin's  second  principle  is  that  of 
Antithesis.  As  one  state  of  the  mind  leads  to 
one  habitual  movement  which  is  of  service,  an 
opposite  state  leads  to  an  opposite  expression, 
though  it  has  never  been  of  service.  We  move 
our  bodies  in  a  direction  in  which  we  wish  a 
body  to  move,  though  we  know  this  has  no  in- 
fluence whatever  ;  and  an  opposite  movement 
or  expression  accompanies  an  opposite  state  of 
mind. 

There  are  other  expressions  wholly  independ- 
ent of  the  will  and  of  habit.  Trembling  from 
iear  or  joy,  and  blushing  are  illustrations.  The 
vaso-motor  system  regulates  the  size  of  the 
small  arteries.  The  slightest  excitement  of  a 
sensitive  nerve  affects  the  heart  and  this  reacts 
on  the  brain.  The  overflow  of  nerve  force  first 
affects  the  respiratory  and  facial  muscles,  because 
most  used.  The  heart  is  not  under  the  power  of 
the  will,  and  the  muscles  of  the  face  but  partly. 
The  glands,  also,  are  independent.  Tears  come 
unbidden,  and  so  saliva,  when  tempting  food  is 
placed  before  the  eye.  Secretions  of  the  breast 
and  other  organs  are  also  instantly  affected 
through  the  nervous  system.  Darwin  thinks 
that  those  actions  least  under  the  control  of  the 
will,  are  longest  retained.  All  these  facts  show 
how  complex  is  the  theory  of  expression  and 
how  much  must  remain  inexplicable. 


102  VOCAL   CULTURE 

Suggestions  as  to  Practice.  First,  the 
expression  of  the  eye  is  to  be  studied,  as  the 
most  expressive  part  of  the  countenance. 

1.  Look  at  those  addressed.  The  eye  ^'bent 
on  vacuity,"  looking  at  the  people  as  a  mass  and 
not  individually,  or  the  eye  that  only  looks  up 
from  the  manuscript  to  the  ceiling  and  back 
again,  loses  its  magnetism.  It  has  no  more  pow- 
er than  the  glass  eye  in  the  figures  of  paste  that 
whirl  around  in  a  milliner's  window.  The  hu- 
man eye  has  one  set  of  voluntary  straight  muscles 
which  move  the  ball  in  every  direction  for  vis- 
ion. These  resign  their  activity  in  sleep  or 
fainting  and  the  involuntary  oblique  muscles  roll 
the  ball  up  under  the  lid.  Hogarth  has  por- 
trayed the  stupor  of  inebriation,  where  the 
struggle  between  the  two  sets  of  muscles  is  seen 
to  go  on.  The  heaviness  of  eye  in  some  speak- 
ers, recalls  the  same  struggle,  particularly  those 
who  are  tied  to  notes,  and  who  occasionally  lan- 
guidly lift  up  the  eye  from  them  to  vacancy 
above. 

In  looking  at  the  audience  do  not  overlook 
the  nearest,  but  let  the  eye  rest  an  instant  on  an 
individual,  and  then  run  along  either  to  right  or 
left,  or  rearward  to  the  farthermost  person.  The 
"  visional  grasp  "  of  an  audience,  as  Bacon  terms 
it,  gives  a  speaker  a  wonderful  control. 

2.  Let  the  usual  expression  of  the  eye  be 
kind  and  respectful.  The  pulpit  and  platform 
present  a  curious  variety  of  eyes.     Some,  when  at 


I^AClAL   EXPRfiSSlON.  103 

refitj  shine  with  sunshine,  and  soma  are  satur- 
nine ;  some  are  apologetic  and  some  are  arro- 
gant ;  some  inspire  love  and  others  repel. 

"  The  strongest  passion  bolts  into  the  face,^ 
therefore  one  should  cultivate  kind  and  cheerful 
feelings,  if  he  would  prepossess  his  audience  in 
his  favor  before  he  speaks.  Preachers,  particu- 
larly, are  apt  to  carry  an  abstracted,  or  weary  or 
sad  face  into  the  pulpit.  Did  they  know  how 
much  of  contagious  influence  came  from  the  eye, 
helpful  or  harmful,  they  would  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  this  matter. 

3.  If  objects  are  delineated,  or  apostrophes 
spoken,  the  eye  is  turned  to  its  object.  The 
speaker's  eye  should  not  look  at  his  gesticulating 
hand. 

4.  Sometimes  the  eye  precedes  the  hand,  as 
sometimes  the  hand  precedes  the  voice,  to  height- 
en the  effect,  when  the  occasion  demands  it. 

5.  Avoid  mere  artifice  and  finical  elegance 
In  movements  or  expression  of  the  eye.  Affecta- 
tion here  is  specially  disgusting.  Cicero  said  of 
Hortensius,  that  his  delivery  had  ^'  even  more 
of  art  than  was  sufficient  for  an  orator."  It  is 
possible  to  be  ^'  faultily  faultless.'' 

If  the  eyes  are  the  most  expressive  part  of  the 
countenance,  the  mouth  is  hardly  less  so.  It  is, 
according  to  an  old  writer,  "the  vestibule  of  the 
soul,  the  door  of  eloquence,  the  place  where 
thoughts  hold  high  debate."    In  his  Essays  on 


104 


VOCAL  CULTURE. 


Art,  Palgrave  says,  "  In  manhood,  all  the  regi*  i 
of  the  forehead  above  and  around  the  eye,  aid 
all  that  lies  arounr*  the  mouth  are  euned  and 


channelled  with  the  memorials  of  a  thouaand 
thoughts  and  impulses.  In  the  beautiful  phrase 
which  Wordsworth  applied  to  the  mountains, 
*  they  look  familiar  with  forgotten  years ' ;  thef 
record  a  life's  experiences." 


JfACIAL  EXPRESSION.  105 

1.  Avoid  uncouth  movements  of  the  mouth. 
Some  smack  their  lips,  some  lick  them,  or  twist 
and  bite  them.  Many  suffer  from  nervousness 
which  causes  grimaces.  The  suggestion  of  prac- 
tice in  oratory,  before  a  mirror  is  often  sneered 
at  by  those  who  need  it  most ;  for  if  they  saw 
themselves  as  others  see,  they  would  be  slow  to 
mflict  on  an  audience,  the  mannerisms  and  ludi- 
crous distortions  which  they  do.  A  competent 
teacher,  however,  is  better  still. 

2.  The  covering  of  the  lips  and  chin  with 
beard  is  healthful,  but  it  hides  from  view  many 
of  the  signs  of  thought  and  emotion  which  reveal 
themselves  there.  Says  Sir  Charles  Bell :  "  In 
the  most  impassioned  discourse  the  action  is  con- 
centrated to  the  lips.  Long  before  a  child  is 
taught  to  speak,  we  may  see  an  imperfect  agita- 
tion of  the  lips  and  cheeks,  and  sounds  are  ut- 
tered, which  wait  only  for  the  effort  of  imitation 
to  become  language. '^  He  might  have  added 
the  fact  that  those  partially  deaf,  depend  on  see- 
ing the  delicate  play  of  the  muscles  of  the  mouth, 
to  interpret  what  the  voice  fails  to  convey. 

3.  Mobility  of  the  muscles  of  the  mouth  ia 
not  wholly  a  natural  gift.  Any  student  of  Del- 
Barte,  the  late  master  of  histrionic  art  in  Eurupe, 
knows  the  marvelous  power  that  culture  and 
practice  impart.  Careful  study  of  statue  and 
photograph  ;  quick  observation  in  following  the 
fleeting  changes  of  facial  expression  in  others, 
and  above  all,  untiring  practice  in  th^  methods 


106  VOCAL  OULTURfi. 

of  delineation  with  appropriate  development  of 
the  imagination,  accomplish  marvels. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Mackay  was  a  pupil  of  Dclsarte, 
and  from  his  lecture,  as  reported  in  a  Bog  ton 
daily,  the  following-  extract  is  taken.  With  re- 
gard to  gesture  in  the  system  of  Delsarte  there 
were  nine  principles.  The  first  is  this,  that 
"gesture  is  the  elliptical  expression  of  human 
thought  and  emotion,"  that  is,  the  means  by 
which  the  hidden  sense  of  a  phrase  is  interpret- 
ed ;  and  this  is  the  exclusive  characteristic  of  ges- 
ture. Mr.  Mackay  illustrated  this  idea  by  giving 
two  forms  of  address  to  a  child,  in  one  of  which 
the  words  were  all  unfriendly,  but  the  action 
was  loving,  while  in  the  other  the  language  was 
affectionate  but  the  gesture  and  expression  were 
repellant.  It  would  be  easy  to  anticipate  which 
fcalutation  would  attract  the  child.  The  other 
principles  were  these  :  that  ease  in  force  is  the 
secret  of  power  ;  that  equilibrium  is  the  basis  of 
grace,  and  opposition  is  the  basis  of  equilibrium; 
that  parallel  movements  should  always  be  in  suc- 
cession, and  opposing  movements  simultaneoaa ; 
that  facial  expression  should  precede  gesture, 
and  gesture  should  precede  speech  ;  that  gener- 
osity of  movement  is  the  true  secret  of  charm  in 
gesture ;  that  silence  is  the  parent  of  gesture ; 
and,  finally,  that  research  for  gesture  is  the 
worst  of  vices,  no  gesture  being  permissible  ex- 
cept that  which  is  imperatively  demanded  by  the 
situation.     Mr.  Mackay^s  illustration  of  the  law 


FACIAL  EXPRESSIOl^.  lOt 

of  parallel  motion  was  unique.  When,  he  says, 
I  am  standing  in  a  certain  position  and  ^3  .  to 
turn  and  look  at  an  object  on  my  right  or  left 
hand,  if  I  am  an  educated  gentleman,  I  turn 
first  my  eyes,  then  my  head  and  lastly  my  body ; 
but  if  I  am  a  clown,  I  turn  my  eyes,  head  and 
body  at  one  time  and  with  one  motion.  By  the 
exemplification  in  his  own  person  it  was  easy  to 
see  the  correctness  of  the  principle.  The  lec- 
turer also  illustrated  the  rule,  that  facial  expres- 
sion should  precede  gesture,  and  gesture  speech, 
by  expressing  love  and  hate  in  the  prescribed 
manner,  which  was  evidently  correct,  and  then 
in  the  reverse,  which  was  seen  to  be  ridiculors. 

He  passed  on  to  illustrate  the  different  kinds 
of  gestures,  dividing  them  into  three  clashes : 
First,  those  governed  by  the  will,  which  begin 
with  the  head  ;  second,  those  governed  by  the 
passions,  which  begin  with  the  shoulders  ;  and 
third,  those  in  which  the  intellect  controls,  which 
begin  with  the  hand.  Gestures  with  the  hand 
made  above  the  level  of  the  waist  are  indicative, 
according  to  Delsarte,  of  different  degrees  of  af- 
firmation, from  simple  assertion  to  solemn  pro- 
testation, according  to  the  height  of  the  hand ; 
while  gestures  made  below  that  level  indicate  the 
different  degrees  of  negation.  The  different  po- 
sitions of  the  hand  were  shown,  appropriate 
severally  to  tenderness,  sensuality,  examination, 
veneration,  suspicion,  exultation,  nonchalance 
and  arrogance*     The  meaning  of  the  various  in* 


108  VOCAL  CULTURE. 

flections  of  the  head  was  also  set  forth,  Mr. 
Mackay  in  this  instance,  as  in  every  other,  ex- 
emplifying every  proposition  in  his  own  person 
by  nsing  the  gesture,  attitude  or  expression  which 
was  under  consideration.  The  bearing  of  the 
body  was  considered,  and  it  was  shown  how 
hopelessness,  cunning,  inquiry,  carelessness,  ar- 
rogance, energy  and  other  qualities  might  be 
exhibited  by  this  means  alone.  There  are  three 
sets  of  muscles  in  the  face,  with  the  poiution, 
uses  and  management  of  which  the  student  of 
Delsarte's  system  is  required  to  be  familiar. 
These  muscles  are  of  three  sorts, — viz.,  those 
which  belong  to  the  carnivorous  animals  as  well 
as  man  ;  those  which  belong  to  the  graminivo- 
rous, and  those  which  are  altogether  human  ; 
and  the  peculiar  character  of  the  passion  to  be 
expressed  regulates  the  use  of  either  set.  The 
whole  number  of  expressions  of  which  the  eye 
is  capable  were  discovered  by  Delsarte's  system 
to  be  seven  hundred  and  twenty-nine.  The 
nine  elementary  expressions  are  the  normal,  in- 
different, morose,  somnolent,  contemptuous, 
deeply  reflective,  surprised  and  resolute.  These 
basis  expressions  are  qualified  by  the  contraction 
of  the  inner  and  outer  edge  of  the  eyebrow  and 
by  the  contraction  and  falling  of  the  lower  lid. 
The  nose,  as  might  be  anticipated,  is  not  so  rich 
in  expressions  as  the  eye,  counting,  indeed,  only 
eighty-one  in  all ;  but  it  has  its  nine  elementa- 
ries,  which  are  the  normal,  cruel,  sensitive,  sen- 


FACIAL   EXPRESSIOJS.  109 

Bual,  disgusted,  scornful,  aggressive,  hateful  and 
furious.  The  mouth,  however,  is  capable  of  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  well- 
defined  phases,  all  of  which  are  forms  or  vari^ 
tions,  as  in  the  cases  just  cited,  of  an  elementary 
nine,  the  principal  modification  coming  from 
the  management  of  the  jaws  and  lips. 

Mr.  Mackay  went  further  and  more  elabo- 
rately than  we  shall  be  able  to  follow  him,  into 
the  description  and  analysis  of  the  other  posi- 
tions and  combinations  which  pertain  to  the  art 
of  expression,  and  of  the  gymnastics  by  which 
the  pupil  is  taught  the  use  of  his  face,  and  of  all 
the  parts  of  his  body  for  the  purposes  of  dra- 
matic expression.  Then,  as  a  grand  summariz- 
ing of  the  exercises  of  the  art,  he  shows  a  num- 
ber of  "chromatic  scales"  or  "gamuts"  of  fa- 
cial expression,  as  he  called  them,  which  were  so 
astonishing  and  impressive,  as  to  beggar  all  de- 
scription In  exhibiting  those  gamuts,  he  stood 
before  his  spectators  perfectly  motionless,  except 
in  his  countenance,  and,  starting  from  the  nor- 
mal expression  would  make  his  face  pass  very 
slowly  through  a  dozen  grades  of  emotion  to 
some  predetermined  phrase,  and  thence  he  would 
descend,  reversing  the  previous  steps,  to  perfect 
repose.  Thus,  in  one  instance,  he  showed  a 
chromatic  scale  of  feeling,  running  through  satis- 
faction, pleasure,  tenderness  and  love,  to  adora- 
tion, and  having  retraced  his  steps  descended 
facially^— if  that  is  a  proper  expression — throu^rb 


110  VOCAL   CULTURE. 

dislike,  disgust,  envy  and  hate,  to  fury.  Again 
he  exhibited  with  ludicrous,  but  edifying  vivid- 
ness, the  transitions  from  repose,  through  jollity, 
gtillness  and  prostration,  to  utter  drunkenness ; 
and  made  a  most  astonishing,  but  painful  specta- 
cle of  his  fine  face  by  passing  through  all  the 
grades  of  mental  disturbance  to  insanity,  and 
down  all  the  stairs  of  mental  weakness  to  utter 
idiocy.  It  would  be  hard  to  overestimate  either 
the  effort  demanded  for  the  performance  of  these 
exercises,  or  that  by  which  the  necessary  skill 
was  originally  attained.  The  impression  pro- 
duced upon  the  audience,  was  at  once  very  lively 
and  very  profound. 

The  profuse  illustrations  which  adorn  Dar- 
win's work,  photographed  from  some  of  the  most 
Jfgnorant,  as  well  as  from  the  refined  among 
men,  attract,  and  even  startle,  by  the  conspicu- 
ous contrasts  of  expression.  When  to  nature 
is  added  study  or  practice,  the  range  is  almost 
infinite. 

In  closing,  it  may  be  said,  in  the  language 
of  Cicero,  that  "next  to  the  voice  in  effective* 
ness,  is  the  countenance,  and  this  is  ruled  over 
by  the  eyes."  Many  brutes  are  kept  at  bay  by  fix- 
ing the  eye  on  their  eyes,  and  gamblers,  it  is  said 
by  Broadns,  "  rely  more  upon  the  study  of  the 
eye  to  discover  the  state  of  their  opponents'  game, 
than  upon  any  other  means.  When  a  man  ia 
possessed    with    his    subject,    and    thoroughly 


FACIAL   EXPRESSION.  Ill 

gubordinates  all  thought  of  self,  his  countenance 
will  spontaneously  assume  every  appropriate  ex- 
pression." Then  will  the  entire  sermo  corporis, 
the  speech  of  the  body,  truthfully  reflect  and 
emphasize  the  soul  that  insmres  it. 


EXAMPLES  FOR  PRACTICE. 


1.    The  quality  of  Mercy  is  not  strained. 

It  droppeth  as  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven 

Upon  the  place  beneath  ;  it  is  twice  blessed ; 

It  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes. 

'Tis  mightiest  in  the  mightiest ;  it  becomes 

The  throned  monarch  better  than  his  crown  : 

His  scepter  shows  the  force  of  temporal  power. 

The  attribute  to  awe  and  majesty, 

Wherein  doth  sit  the  dread  and  fear  of  kings ; 

But  Mercy  is  above  this  sceptered  sway, — 

It  is  enthroned  in  the  heart  of  kings, 

It  is  an  attribute  to  God  himself  : 

And  earthly  power  doth  then  show  likest  God's 

When  mercy  seasons  justice. — Merchant  of  Venice. 

2i,    To  gild  the  refined  gold,  to  paint  the  lily, 
To  throw  a  perfume  on  the  violet. 
To  smooth  the  ice,  or  add  another  hue 
Unto  the  rainbow,  or  with  taper  light 
To  seek  the  beauteous  eye  of  heaven  to  garnish. 
Is  wasteful  and  ridiculous  excess. — King  John, 

3.  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness, 
Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight  in  the 
desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Every  valley  shall  be 
exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low ; 
and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight,  and  the  rough 
places  plain.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
revealed,  and  all  flesh  see  it  together ;  for  the  mouth  of 
the  Lord  hath  spoken  it. — Isaiah  XL. 

4.  The  body  is  not  one  member,  but  many.  If  the 
loot  shall  say.  Because  I  am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of 
the  body  ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  ?  And  if  the 
ear  shall  say.  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the 
body;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  If  the  whole 
body  were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  if  the  whole 
were  hearing,  where  were  the  smelling  ?  But  now  hath 
God  set  the  members  every  one  of  them  in  the  body  as  it 
hath  pleased  him. — 1  Cor.  XII. 

5.  Then  sang  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  thif 
song  unto  the  Lord,  and  spake,  saying,  I  will  sing  untc 
the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously  :  the  horse 
and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea.  The  Lord  is 
my  strength  and  song  and  is  become  my  salvation  :  he  is 
my  God,  and  I  will  prepare  him  a  habitation ;  my  father's 
God,  and  I  will  exalt  him.    The  Lord  is  a  man  of  war| 


the  LOBD  is  Tiis  name.  Pharaoh's  chariots  and  his  host 
hath  he  cast  mto  the  sea :  his  chosen  captains  also  are 
drowned  in  the  Red  Sea.  The  depths  have  covered  them, 
they  sank  into  the  bottom  as  a  stone.  Thy  right  hand, 
O  Lord,  is  become  glorious  in  power :  thy  right  hand, 
O  Lord,  hath  dashed  in  pieces  the  enemy.  And  in  the 
greatness  of  thine  excellency  thou  hast  overthrown  them 
that  rose  up  against  thee  :  thou  sentest  forth  thy  wrath, 
which  consumed  them  as  stubble.  And  with  the  blast  of 
thy  nostrils  the  waters  were  gathered  together  :  the 
floods  stood  upright  as  an  heap,  and  the  depths  were 
congealed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea.  The  enemy  said,  I 
will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will  divide  the  spoils,  my 
lust  shall  be  satisfied  upon  them,  I  will  draw  my  sword, 
my  hand  shall  destroy  them.  Thou  didst  blow  with  thy 
wind,  the  sea  covered  them:  they  sank  as  lead  in  the 
mighty  waters.  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  among 
the  gods  ?  who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful 
in  praises,  doing  wonders  ? — Exodus  XV. 

G.       Prostrate,  dear  Jesus,  at  thy  feet, 
A  guilty  rebel  lies ; 
And  upward  to  thy  mercy-seat 
Presumes  to  lift  his  eyes. 

If  tears  of  sorrow  would  suffice 

To  pay  the  debt  I  owe, 
Tears  should  from  both  my  weeping  eyes 

In  ceaseless  torrents  flow. 

But  no  such  sacrifice  I  plead 

To  expiate  my  guilt ; 
No  tears,  but  those  which  thou  hast  shed, 

No  blood,  but  thou  hast  spilt. 

I  plead  thy  sorrows,  dearest  Lord : 

Do  thou  my  sins  forgive ; 
Then  justice  will  approve  the  word 

That  bids  the  sinner  live. — Stennett. 

7.  When  public  bodies  are  to  be  addressed  on  mo- 
mentous occasions,  when  great  interests  are  at  stake,  and 
strong  passions  excited,  nothing  is  valuable  in  speech 
farther  than  it  is  connected  with  high  intellectual  and 
moral  endowments.  Clearness,  force,  and  earnestness 
are  the  qualities  which  produce  conviction.  True  elo- 
quence, indeed,  does  not  consist  in  speech.  It  cannot  be 
brought  from  afar.  Labor  and  learning  may  toil  for  it, 
but  they  will  toil  in  vain.  Words  and  phrases  may  be 
marshalled  in  every  way,  but  they  cannot  compass  it. 
It  must  exist  in  the  man,  in  the  subject,  and  in  the  occa- 
sion. Affected  passion,  intense  expression,  the  pomp  of 
(113) 


ifcclamatior. ,  all  may  aspire  after  it,  they  cannot  reacli  it 
It  comes,  if  it  comes  at  all,  like  the  outbreaking  of  a 
fountain  from  the  earth,  or  the  bursting  forth  of  volcanic 
fires,  with  spontaneous,  original,  native  force.  The 
graces  taught  in  the  schools,  the  costly  ornaments  and 
studied  contrivances  of  speech  shock  and  disgust  men 
when  their  own  lives  and  the  fate  of  their  wives,  their 
children,  and  their  country,  hang  on  the  decision  of  the 
hour.  Then  words  have  lost  their  power,  rhetoric  is 
vain,  and  all  elaborate  oratory  contemptible.  Even 
genius  itself  then  feels  rebuked  and  subdued,  as  in  the 
presence  of  higher  qualities.  Then  patriotism  is  elo- 
q«uent ;  then  self-devotion  is  eloquent.  The  clear  con- 
ception, outrunning  the  deductions  of  logic,  the  high 
purpose,  the  firm  resolve,  the  dauntless  spirit,  speaking 
on  the  tongue,  beaming  from  the  eye,  informing  every 
feature  and  urging  the  whole  man  onward,  right  onward 
to  his  object— this,  this  is  Eloquence,  or  rather  it  is 
something  greater  and  higher  than  all  eloquence — it  is 
Action,  noble,  sublime,  God-like  Action. —  Webster. 

8.  The  Pilgrim  spirit  has  not  fled  ! 

It  walks  in  noon's  broad  light : 
And  it  watches  the  bed  of  the  glorious  dead 

With  the  holy  stars  at  night. 
It  watches  the  bed  of  the  brave  who  have  bled. 

And  shall  guard  the  ice- bound  shore, 
Till  the  waves  of  the  bay  where  the  Mayflower  lay 

Shall  foam  and  freeze  no  more. — Pierpont. 

9.  The  style  of  Dryden  is  capricious  and  varied  ;  that 
of  Pope  is  cautious  and  uniform.  Dryden  obeys  the 
motions  of  his  own  mind  ;  Pope  constrains  his  mind  to 
his  own  rules  of  composition.  Dryden  is  sometimes 
vehement  and  rapid ;  Pope  is  always  smooth,  uniform, 
and  gentle.  Dryden's  page  is  a  natural  field,  rising  into 
inequalities  and  diversified  by  the  varied  exuberance  of 
abundant  vegetation  ;  Pope's  is  a  velvet  lawn,  shaven  by 
the  scythe  and  levelled  by  the  roller. — Johnson. 

10.  The  village  all  declared  how  much  he  knew; 
'Twas  certain  he  <}ould  write  and  cipher  too. 
Lands  he  could  measure,  terms  and  tides  presage. 
And  e'en,  the  story  ran,  that  he  could  ^auge. 

In  arguing,  too,  the  parson  owned  his  skill, 

For  e'en  though  \  anquished,  he  could  argue  still, 

While   words   of  learned  length  and  thundering 

sound 
Amazed  the  gazing  rustics  ranged  around. 
And  still  they  gazed,  and  still  the  wonder  grew 
That  one,  small  head  could  carry  all  he  knew. 

Ooldsmith, 


11.  Hand  iiiiu 
Awake,  awake  I  and  thou,  my  lu-art,  awuke! 
Green  fields  and  icy  cliffs !  ail  join  my  hymn  • 
And  thou,  O  silent  mountain  s  le  and  bare, 

O  !  blacker  than  tlie  darkness,  all  the  night, 
And  visited  all  night  by  troops  of  stars, 
Or  when  they  climb  the  sky,  or  when  they  sink, 
Companion  of  the  morning  star  at  dawn, 
Thyself  earth's  rosy  star,  and  of  the  dawn 
Co-herald !  wake,  0  wake,  and  utter  praise  I 

Coleridge. 

1 2.  My  Lords,  I  did  not  intend  to  have  encroached 
again  upon  your  attention,  but  I  cannot  repress  my  in- 
dignation.    These  abominable  principles,  and  this  more 
abominable  avowal  of  them,  demand  the  most  decisive 
indignation.     I   call   upon   that    right   reverend    bencli 
those  holy  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  pious  pastor's  ' 
our  church  ;  I  conjure  them  to  join  in  the  holy  work  iv- 
vindicate  the  religion  of  their  God.     I  appeal  to  the  wi^ 
dom  and  law  of  this  learned  bench  to  defend  and  suppoi 
the  justice  of  their  country.     1  call  upon  the  bishops  t 
interpose  the  unsullied  sanctity  of  their  lawn  ;  upon  the 
learned  judges  to  interpose  the  purity  of  their  ermine  to 
save  us  from  this  pollution.     I  call  upon  the  s]  irit  and 
humanity  of  my  country  to  vindicate  the  national  char 
acter. — Chatfiam. 


The  crowning  excellence  in  the  rendering  of  these 
extracts  is  naturalness  of  expression.  The  pleader  at  the 
bar  is  apt  to  speak  more  naturally  than  the  preacher, 
partly  because  his  interest  is  more  real,  personal,  and 
immediate.  He  is  not  usually  fettered  by  MS.  He  has 
a  point  to  gain.  Rewards  await  success.  He  has  a 
greater  variety  in  audience,  in  topics,  and  in  other  things. 

One  who  intones  his  prayers  will  be  likely  to  intone  bis 
sermons.  The  effort  to  project  one's  voice  into  a  vast 
area,  as  in  English  cathedrals,  also  leads  to  a  peculiar 
prolongation  of  tone  and  improper  pronunciation.  Cli- 
matic peculiarities  also  are  to  be  considered  in  English 
voice  culture.  So,  too,  national  characteristics  and  social 
habits  have  their  influence.  Perhaps  second  to  none  of 
the  moirlding  influences,  related  to  sacred  oratory,  is  that 
of  revivals  of  deep  and  genuine  religion.  There  is  no 
teacher  like  the  Holy  Ghost,  inspiring  not  only  spiritual, 
but  real  rhetorical  power.  Art  can  give  rules,  but  the 
fervor,  solemnity,  and  power  that  moves  the  conscience 
and  will,  must  be  the  natural  and  not  the  assumed  ex- 
pression of  the  man. 

(115) 


Just  ivhat  you  ivant  to  knoiv  about  the  correct  use  of  Preposi" 
tiotJSy  Conjunctions^  Relative  Pronouns^  and  Adxierbs  is  provided 
in  concise^  handy  form  ^  ivith  illustrative  examples^  in  this  work. 

Connectives  of 
English  Speech 

Companion  Volume  to  **  English  Synonyms, 
Antonyms,  and  Prepositions" 

By  JAMES  C.   FERNALD,  L.H.D. 

Editor  of '''"'The  Standard  Dictionary^^^  '"'' English  Synonyms 
and  Antonyms^''  etc. 

Giving  the  definitions  with  the  correct  usage  of 
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Connectives  of 
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English  Synonyms,  An- 
tonyms, ^W  Prepositions 

Companion  Volume  to  "  Connectives  of  English  Speech  ' ' 

By  JAMES  C.   FERNALD,  L.H.D. 

Editor  ''*■  Students''  Standard  Dictionary ^^^   Editor  Synonyms^ 
Antonyms^  and  Prepositions  in  the  Standard  Dictionary 

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WHAT   IS  ART? 

Translated  from  the  Original  Manuscript  with 
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aad  in  handier  form  than  any  other  volume  with  which 
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OF  THE   PULPIT 
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Introduction  by  Gen.   Lew  Wallace 

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platform  or  stage  instead  of  animated  souls. 

HIGHLY  PRAISED  BT  AUTHORITIES 

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Rochester  Herald. 

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gationalist. 

"  An  unpretentious  but  really  meritorious  volume." — Dra- 
matic Re'viezv. 

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and  what  he  has  written  is  worth  reading." — The  Dramatic 
Ne-ws. 

"It  is  brightly  written  and  original." — Richard  Henry 
Stoddard. 

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